Precious Things
by The Little Monster 1024
Summary: It's time for the Beckett family reunion and Kate decides that she wants Castle to come. Can Richard Castle survive a week filled with thirty plus Becketts?
1. Family Reunion

**Precious Things**

**Chapter One**

**AN: Another new fic. I'm not even sorry this time.**

**Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to, I do not own Castle.**

* * *

The faint ringing of a cell phone pulled Kate Beckett from her peaceful slumber. For a second, she thought about ignoring it. But she wasn't on call and no one else would call her unless it was an emergency. Terrible scenarios filled her head as she found herself detangling her body from the arms of her boyfriend and pushing the blankets back.

Once standing and out of his vice grip, Kate looked around on the floor for her phone until she found it under Castle's jeans that had been discarded the night before.

Seeing all the clothes on the floor reminded her of her naked state. She suddenly shivered and hopped back into bed underneath the covers as she answered her phone.

"Beckett." She said, realizing she hadn't checked the caller ID.  
"Hey Katie." Came the warm voice of her father.

She smiled and leaned back against the headboard, pulling the blanket with her. "Hey Dad! What's going on?" She glanced over at the clock, 7:30 a.m. She shouldn't be surprised; her father always called early in the mornings. Normally she'd already be up but since she stared dating Castle, she was slowly losing her ability to wake up before nine.

"Oh, I was just wondering if you needed a ride to the airport. We can go together."

"Why would I be going to the airport?" She asked.

"The family reunion." Jim said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Oh my god!" Kate said loudly, causing Castle to stir beside her. She didn't notice as he slowly came out of his sleep. "That's this year?! Oh, dad I forgot." She ran a hand through her hair and leaned her head back against the headboard.

"Katie, you can't miss this. You left the last one three days early and they're so worried about you because of your shooting-"

"Aunt Carrie visited after I got shot." She interrupted, trying to take her guilt away. She felt bad about leaving early and not seeing them so often…but she was busy and it wasn't her fault that they lived in Texas.

"Yes," Jim said. "And our other thirty plus family members didn't get a chance to. Especially your Grandmother. Have you even called her since your shooting?"

Kate rolled her eyes at his accusatory tone. She rarely saw this side of her father and when she did, she'd admit it, it annoyed the hell out of her.

"Yes, _dad_. I called a few times."

Jim ignored her. "You have to come." He repeated.

Kate sighed. "I know…listen, I'll use my vacation days and come down." She paused. "But I'll be down tomorrow. There's no way I'm going to be able to make it today. I have a lot of paperwork that I can't leave for the boys-"

"But you'll miss the-"

"Family dinner. I know. I know. But this is better than not coming right?"

Jim sighed in defeat. "Okay…I'll tell everyone." He said. "Are you bringing Rick?"

Kate looked over to Castle, who was now awake and scrolling through his phone, and smiled. "I think so." She said. "You think anyone would care?"

Jim chuckled. "They might scare him away."

"I think I'll take that chance." She laughed. "I'd kind of like for them to meet him."

"That's a good idea." Jim said, happily. "Now, I'm going to let you know so you can go talk to your Captain and get everything in order."

"Okay, bye Dad. Love you."

"Love you too, Katie."

Kate hung up and sat her phone on the nightstand before turning and looking at Castle, who had also sat his phone aside.

"How much did you hear?" She asked with a smile.

Castle sat up and scooted closer, leaning against the headboard next to her. He leaned forward and snagged her lips in a quick good morning kiss. He pulled with a smile. "Who do you want me to meet?"

Kate sighed. "The Beckett family reunion is this year…and I was going to invite you to come."

Castle mock-gasped. "Your family reunion?! I'd be honored."

"Well, it starts today…but we probably won't get there until tomorrow." She said. "We need to get dressed so I can go in to talk to Gates about getting the rest of the week off and hopefully make it on a plane to Texas by tomorrow morning."

Castle nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Silence overtook them as Castle stared at the woman in front of him, marveling in how far they had come. In a little over a year they've gone from just friends to completely and utterly in love. She'd told him she loves him. She invited him to her family reunion.

"So exactly how much Beckett greatness am I going to be exposed to on this trip?"

"Well," Kate began. "My Dad is one of six and most of them had kids so I have nine first cousins, not counting their spouses…and then twelve second cousins." She said.

"Wow." Castle said. "How did I not know this about you? Why don't you ever mention them…or have pictures of them or anything?"

"I keep most family photos I have in albums but I don't have many anymore since my old apartment blew up. And they don't really come up in many conversations."

"But why have I never seen you talking on the phone or texting or emailing or something?"

"The only one who really ever calls in my grandmother, but she can't hear very well on the phone so we talk for a short time…I email most of my aunts and uncles." She paused. "I text a few of my cousins but I'm not that close with any of them except the youngest of my first cousins, Miranda."

Castle grinned. "You think they'll all like me?"

Kate nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I think so. Most of the boy will try to scare you a little…but everyone else should be good."

"_Should_ I be scared of them?" Castle asked.

Kate laughed. "No. If anything you should be scared of Nana."

"_Nana?_!" Castle gasped with a smirk.

Kate groaned. "Shut up, Castle." She said. "I was a kid and the name stuck."

"That's so adorable!"

"Shut up." She muttered, getting up from her spot on the bed and making her way to the bathroom.

* * *

**Okay, what did you guys think? **

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	2. They're Going to Love You

**Precious Things**

**Chapter Two**

**AN: Thanks for the positive feedback! :D Fair warning: This chapter is going to pretty much name every character in Beckett's family…so a lot of dialogue and maybe confusion. If you get really confused just PM me?**

**Disclaimer: Again I don't own them.**

* * *

After finishing a mountain of paperwork, getting Gates to give her the week off using her vacation days, and packing, Castle and Beckett were sitting side by side in the airplane. Castle had insisted on first class and Kate really wasn't going to complain about him spending the money.

They'd been having that argument since day one and lately she found herself feeling like it wasn't worth it. He was never going to stop spending ridiculous amounts of money on her. And as much as she didn't like it, she had to admit it was sweet.

At that thought, she glanced over at him. She let him have the window seat but he wasn't looking out at the view. He was fidgeting with his hands in his lap.

"You okay?" She asked, reaching over to touch his arm.

He nodded and looked up at her, catching her hand as she pulled it away and intertwined his with it.

"Nervous?" She asked, knowingly.

He gave her a sheepish smile. "Am I that obvious?"

She chuckled and squeezed his hand. "Don't be."

"Tell me about all of them?" He asked, turning a little in his seat to face them. "I want to at least know some of their names."

Kate nodded. "Okay, well my grandmother's-"

"Nana." Castle interrupted with a chuckle.

Kate rolled her eyes. "_Nana's_ name is Joyce but she'll force you to call her Nana."

"Really?" Castle asked. "What if I feel awkward and don't want to?"

"She'll take it as a punishment aimed to hurt her feelings beyond repair."

"Nana it is!" Castle said quickly.

Kate laughed at him as she continued. "Nana and Papa, whose name was Roger but he passed away a while ago, had six children. Carrie who is the oldest is 66 years old. My dad is next and he's 64. Then the twins, Ron and Carol, are 63. Terri is 61 and Matt is the youngest, 59."

Castle nodded, telling her to continue.

"They all got married and had kids." She paused. "Aunt Carrie married Seamus and they had my cousins, Natalie and Emily. Obviously Dad married Mom and had me. Uncle Ron married Pam and had Jack. Aunt Carol married Thomas and had Miranda and Loretta. Aunt Terri married Andrew and had Samuel. And Matt married Christina and had Danny, Jon, and Olivia."

"Oh my God." Castle said. "There's no way I'll be able to remember all of them."

Kate smile. "And then they all got married and had kids…but we'll focus on the little kids when we get there."

Castle nodded. "Tell me about where we're going and what we're going to be doing?" He asked.

"Nana has this huge farm that she lives on. She can't really take care of it herself so Miranda lives on the farm and helps take care of the animals and make sure Nana is okay." She paused. "And every five years when we gather for these things we do the exact same activities. It's become tradition." She smiled.

Castle couldn't help but smile back. He couldn't believe he didn't know this about her.

"Nana rents this dance hall type building and on the first night there's a big family dinner…which we missed. And then tonight it'll just be everyone hanging out in the same building with music, food, and drinks. It's actually pretty fun."

"Are we staying in a hotel?" He asked. "Sorry for interrupting."

Kate laughed. "It's okay. Yeah, we'll stay in a hotel every night except I think Wednesday is the night we all camp out at Nana's farm."

"Camping?!" Castle said, surprised.

"Yes, so you might have to butch up a bit." Kate said with a smirk. "Get down and dirty."

"Oh you _know_ I can get down and dirty." He said, wiggling his eyebrows in her direction.

She rolled her eyes. "Not what I meant."

…

Kate scanned the people in the airport in search of her father. He was picking them up and driving them to the car rental place. She couldn't see him anywhere.

"See him anywhere?" Kate asked, grabbing Castle's hand to get his attention.

Castle was pulled from his daydream and looked over at her. "Uh," He scanned the crowd, spotting Jim Beckett walking toward them. "Right there, he's coming over here."

Jim reached them as Kate's eyes found him.

"Hey dad." Kate said as he father pulled her into a hug.

Jim smiled as he pulled away from his daughter. "I'm glad you made it."

Kate nodded.

Jim turned to Castle with a smile. "Glad you could come too Rick."

Castle nodded like Kate did. "I'm excited to meet everyone."

Jim smiled. "They're going to love you."

Castle and Beckett grabbed their bags (after forcing her Dad to let her carry her own bag) they were walking out of the airport and toward the car Jim was driving. They threw their bags in the trunk and climbed inside the car. Kate sat in the passenger's seat next to her father and Castle sat in the back.

"Is this a rental?" Kate asked, buckling her seatbelt.

Jim shook his head. "No, it's Miranda's car. I'm staying with your grandmother on her farm."

"Oh," Kate said with a nod. "How is everyone?"

Jim smiled at her. "They're all great…excited to see you." He said. "All of the little kids are excited to see you. Especially the older girls."

"How old are they now? I haven't seen them in such a long time."

Jim thought about it for a second. "Kayla, Aaliyah, and Sara are all ten." He said. "The other girls were a little young last time we were all together. But, Kayla, Aaliyah, and Sara are very excited to see you again."

Kate smiled, remembering the last family reunion when she shared a tent with all the little girls the night they camped out on Nana's farm. She had let them stay up way past their set bedtimes and listened to their stories of kindergarten and everything else.

"And then the boys just wanted to know if you were bringing your gun." Jim said.

Kate smiled and Castle laughed from the backseat. Kate turned back and looked at him. "The last time I was here Roger, David, and Charles said that girls couldn't be cops and they challenged me in a game of cops & robbers."

Castle smiled at the sparkle in her eyes. "How old are they?"

"I think Roger is eleven now and David and Charles, the twins, are twelve." She said. "So they were around six and seven when I was here last."

"Did you let them win?" He asked.

She laughed. "No, I kicked their asses."

"I should've known."

* * *

**Guys I updated _twice_ in one week. Dear God is this real life?!**

_**Tumblr: accidents-and-accusations**_


	3. Sara, Aaliyah, and Kayla

**Precious Things**

**Chapter Three**

**AN: Thanks SO much for your kind reviews! Sorry for the long wait. I've been sick this week and the cold medicine kind of knocked me out. :P BUT, with the long weekend hopefully I'll be able to get some chapters in.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything…except the characters I created; Beckett's family: Joyce, Carrie, Seamus, Natalie, Mark, Emily, Peter, Roger, Kayla, Conner, Jeremy, Ron, Pamela, Jack, Angela, Charles, David, Matt, Christina, Edward, Reed, Olivia, Terri, Jon, Anna, Aaliyah, Britney, Chloe, Sara, Liam, Andrew, Samuel, Ruth, Jacen, Carol, Thomas, Loretta, Mike, Kimmy, and Miranda.**

* * *

"Should I dress up more?" Castle asked nervously as he looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved grey shirt. Kate had told him to be casual.

Kate emerged from the hotel bathroom in dark jeans and a purple sweater. "That's fine Castle." She smiled. "You really need to calm down. It's becoming unattractive." She smirked.

Castle smiled. "Thanks."

Kate watched his reflection in the mirror from behind and smiled. God, she loved him. She loved him so much it scared her. She didn't think he could possibly understand how much she loved him.

She's never loved someone like she loves him. Sorenson, Josh, Demming? Couldn't compare.

She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle. "I love you." She mumbled against his back

Castle wiggled around and turned her to face him. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "I love you too, Kate."

She rested her head on his chest with a sigh. She was exhausted. Flying did that too her. It was going to be a long, fun night.

They stood there, content in each other's arms for a few minutes before Castle broke the silence. "So, how many boy friends before me have had this great pleasure?"

Kate squeezed him a little tighter and nuzzled farther into him. "None of them."

"Really?" He asked.

She nodded. "Everytime the reunion came around I was single…well except when I was dating Will, but he had a case and couldn't make it." She said. "That was toward the end of our relationship anyway."

"I'm sorry." Castle said, rubbing a hand up and down her back.

She chuckled and looked up at him. "What are you sorry for?"

"That your relationship ended the way it did. I feel bad that he just left the way he did."

Kate leaned up and pressed a kiss to his jaw. "That's sweet Castle." She said. "But, I'm happy it ended "

"Why?"

She shrugged. "Like you said Castle. He's the male version of me. Ying needs Yang." She smiled. "We would never have worked."

Castle didn't even know what to say. She surprised him so much. She left him speechless yet again. Instead, he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

She rolled her eyes with a laugh. "Come on, Castle." She said, pulling away from him. "We don't want to be too late."

He nodded as she pulled her high heeled boots on before they exited the hotel room.

* * *

They both climbed from the car. Castle took Kate's hand in his as they walked toward the building.

Castle studied the building. It wasn't that big, but it wasn't that small either. It looked like the place where an intimate wedding reception would be held. One of the doors was propped open and the chatter of voices could be heard.

Kate squeezed his hand to get him attention. He looked over to see her smiling at him. He smiled back, finding hers contagious.

"Ready?" She asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, take me to meet your family."

She pulled him by his hand to the door where she stepped inside first, with him right at her back. She looked around the room. It wasn't fancy looking at all; just plain wooden tables with folding chairs around them. The food was lined up along with back wall. There was a dance floor that a few people occupied. The lights were dimmed but she could still make out the faces of her family members. Her Aunts, Uncles, and cousins were scattered everywhere. Little kids ran around, laughing in the company of their cousins.

She spotted her father walking toward them; he seemed to be the only one who had noticed their arrival.

He smiled at them. "Hey guys!"

"Did everyone make it this year?" Kate asked, her eyes still scanning the room, checking to see if anyone was missing.

Jim nodded. "Yeah, everyone made it. Your Grandmother is thrilled."

"How is she?" Kate asked.

"Great for an 84 year old." Jim said. "Just has trouble walking."

"I should go talk to her."

Jim nodded again. "She's been asking where you were. She's been antsy about seeing you since she heard about your shooting. She was beyond angry when Miranda wouldn't let her fly out to see you because of her being sick."

"I know." Kate said. She remembered. When she was shot her grandmother wanted nothing more than to come see Kate to help take care of her, but she had been sick and Miranda wouldn't let her visit in fear she'd get Kate sick. "Where is she?" Kate asked.

"She's over there with Aunt Carrie and Uncle Seamus." Jim said, pointing toward the back of the room. "I'm going to go back and finish my game of pool with your Uncle Ron." He said, leaving the couple alone.

:Kate smiled. Her Nana was laughing at something her daughter had said and looked happier than ever. As a child, she had been close to her grandmother. They came to visit every summer, Christmas, and Easter. She and her cousins all had memories of nights on Nana's farm, catching fireflies and playing games until late into the night.

Castle followed Kate's gaze to settle on the elderly, white haired woman sitting in the back of a room with a woman and man. For 84 she looked incredibly healthy. There was no feebleness in her movements. Her eyes were a bright as she laughed at the people in front of her. Castle's eyes then shifted to Kate. She had one of the brightest smiles he had ever seen on her. She looked so _happy._

She must have felt him staring because she looked over and met his eyes. "Want to meet Nana, Castle?" She asked, squeezing his hand again.

Castle nodded. "I'd love to."

Kate started to lead him away from the door and toward her Grandmother when the shrieks of excited little girls filled their ears.

"KATIE!"

Before they could even turn around, Kate felt pairs of small arms around her waist.

Kate looked down at the smiling faces of her second cousins. "Oh my-" She paused, wrapping her arms the best she could around the three ten year olds. "Kayla, Sara, Aaliyah! You guys are so grown up!" Kate gushed.

Castle stepped back with a smile to watch the exchange. The three girls looked so excited to see Kate, just as she did to see them. They all looked different; one girl was shorter with blonde hair, the other two were tall and one had dark hair like Kate and the other had hair that resembled Alexis'. They were all gorgeous. He could see the family resemblance.

"You're all getting so big; I can't believe it!" Kate said, pulling away from the hug to crouch down in front of the girls, otherwise she towered over them. Kate couldn't believe that the three beautiful pre-teens in front of her where the grass-stained, sticky-faced five year olds she had shared a tent with at the last family reunion.

"You look so different!" Sara said to Kate excitedly.

"Yeah!" Aaliyah added. "Your hair is longer and brown now instead of red." She said, reaching forward to touch Kate's hair gently.

"You remember all that?" Kate asked. "You guys were only five."

"We've seen pictures." Sara answered.

Kayla, the shyer one of the group, spoke up. "You look so pretty, Katie."

Kate smiled and squeezed the girls in another hug. "Thank you, sweetie. You all are gorgeous!"

They all giggled in thanks. Kayla was the first to stop laughing and noticed the strange man behind Katie that was watching them. "Katie." She whispered.

"What?" She whispered back, playing along.

"Who is the weird guy behind us?" She asked.

Oh. Castle.

"Oh." She said, standing. She turned back toward Castle with an apologetic smile for forgetting him. She grabbed his hand and turned back to the girls. "This is Richard Castle, girls." She said with a smile. "Castle, this is Aaliyah, Sara, and Kayla. They're my little cousins."

"Hi, Mr. Castle." The girls said politely in unison.

Castle smiled and crouched down in front of them as Kate had. "You girls can call me Rick, and it's very nice to meet you." He said, reaching out to shake their hands. "Now, can you guys tell me which one of you is which?"

They nodded.

"I'm Sara." The brunette said with a big smile, her blue eyes shinning.

The blonde spoke next. "I'm Aaliyah."

Castle smiled at them both and turned to the shy little redhead. "And you must be Kayla."

Kayla nodded, smiling at him. "Yeah."

"You know, I have a daughter with hair the same color as yours."

"Really?" The little girl asked. "I'm the only person in my class with red hair."

"You have a daughter?!" Sara said, loudly. "Did she come too? Can she play with us?"

Kate smiled and crouched down next to Castle. "Rick's daughter is 19 guys, in college."

"Oh." Sara and Aaliyah said together.

Kate laughed and stood, grabbing Castle's hand to bring him with her. "Girls, we're going to go talk to Nana and everyone else. We'll talk to you guys again later. "

The girls nodded and ran off. Castle and Beckett started for Nana again. "Cute girls." Castle commented.

"I can't believe how old they are!" Kate said again.

Castle was about to say something when the voice of one of the girls was heard again behind them. They turned to see Kayla standing about five feet away.

"Katie!" She said. "Come here." She gestured with her hand.

Kate smiled, dropped Castle's hand, and walked toward the girl. When she reached her she bent down to her level.

"What's up?" She asked.

Kayla stood on her toes to whisper into Kate's ear. "Is he your boyfriend?" She asked.

Kate grinned and turned to whisper into the girl's ear. "Yeah, he is."

"Good." Kayla said. "I like him."

"Me too, Kayla."

* * *

**Thoughts? **


	4. Battle

**Precious Things**

**Chapter Four**

**AN: Once again. Thank you for all the love! :D I'm glad everyone liked Sara, Kayla, and Aaliyah!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything…except the characters I created; Beckett's family: Joyce, Carrie, Seamus, Natalie, Mark, Emily, Peter, Roger, Kayla, Conner, Jeremy, Ron, Pamela, Jack, Angela, Charles, David, Matt, Christina, Edward, Reed, Olivia, Terri, Jon, Anna, Aaliyah, Britney, Chloe, Sara, Liam, Andrew, Samuel, Ruth, Jacen, Carol, Thomas, Loretta, Mike, Kimmy, and Miranda.**

* * *

Those eyes. The green, shining, don't-stare-too-long-you'll-get-lost-eyes. She had them, too. Nana stared up at her granddaughter, those gorgeous eyes shining, her smile lighting up her whole face. Castle couldn't look away from the exchange.

"Katie!" The woman said happily, trying to stand from the seat with difficulty.

Kate placed a hand on the woman's shoulder and bent down to hug the woman in her seat.

"Oh Katie, sweetheart." The woman said, squeezing her tightly. "How are you?"

Kate smiled and pulled away from the hug, still holding onto her grandmother's hands. "I feel great, Nana. I'm fine."

"No you're not!" She said, her eyes skimming over Kate's body.

Kaye gave her a confused look.

"You're too skinny!" Nana said, poking Kate in the stomach gently. "A couple weeks here in Texas and we'd have some meat on those bones."

Kate heard Castle chuckle behind her, causing Nana's attention to settle on him. "Now, Katie, don't be rude. Introduce me to your…_friend_." She said with a sly smile

Kate rolled her eyes at her grandmother before turning back to Castle. He smiled at her as she grabbed his hand and pulled him forward. "Nana," She said, lacing her fingers with him and giving his hand a squeeze. "This is my boyfriend, Richard Castle." She smiled. "And Castle this is Joyce Beckett, my grandmother."

Castle let go of Kate's hand to reach forward to shake Nana's. "Mrs. Beckett-"

"Nana." She corrected.

"Nana," He smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Kate inwardly rolled her eyes at him; always the charmer.

"And, it's nice to meet you too." Nana said, giving him a smile much like Kate's. The woman turned to her granddaughter. "He's the writer that's been following you?" She asked.

Kate nodded, stealing a glance at him. "Yeah. He is."

"I've read some of you're work based on Katie." Nana said to Rick. "_Naked Heat_." She said, quirking her eyebrow. Oh the family resemblance.

Kate stifled back a laugh as he gulped for breath. "Oh. Uh. Yeah…I didn't…I mean…we'd never…I didn't _want_ to…that's not what I meant." He said.

"_Mhm_." Nana said with a knowing smirk.

* * *

Kate couldn't help but laugh at the expression on his face. He was blushing hard, his face still showing all signs of embarrassment. Thank god for him that Aunt Carrie needed Nana's help with something or Castle may have melted into a puddle on the floor.

"The things I do for you." He mumbled under his breath.

Kate smiled and yanked on his hand to pull him closer to her as they made their way to the drinks table. "Love you." She whispered into his head, placing a soft kiss on his cheek.

He wrapped an arm around her waste, not caring that they were in a room full of her family, and kissed her lips gently, not lingering. "I love you, too."

She opened her mouth to say something when she felt something hit her back.

They both turned to see three pre-teen boys staring at them with nerf guns in hand.

"Look who decided to show up." One of the boys said, smirking to the others.

Kate smiled, deciding to play along. "Boys, you here to get your butt kicked by me again?"

"No!" He yelled back in a high-pitched voice. "The only reason you won last time was because we're little!"

Kate shook her head. "No, I won because I'm a trained cop."

The boys scoffed. "Whatever."

Kate smiled at the boys. She'd missed them. "How old are you kids now?"

"I'm eleven." Said the shorter boy, Roger.

"And we're twelve." One of the brown haired, freckled face twins, Charles and David, said.

"So, how old are you now?" Roger, obviously the leader of the group, asked with a smirk.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Boys, this is Richard Castle, my boyfriend." She said with a smile. "And Castle, Roger, Charles, and David." She pointed each out for him. He gave the boy a smile.

"You a cop too?" Roger asked.

Castle shook his head. "No, but I work with Kate on cases."

One of the twins spoke up. "Does she let you have a gun?"

Castle smiled and shook his head again. "No. She's afraid I'll hurt myself." He said, squeezing her hand. She smiled and squeezed back.

"Have you ever used one?" The other twin asked. Castle couldn't tell which was which; they were identical.

"Yeah." Castle said. "A few times."

"Where you good?" Roger asked.

_No_. Castle thought. "Yeah." He said. "But defiantly not as good as Kate."

"Kate is good?"

"Yeah!" He said, smiling. "She could kick your little butts at nerf gun."

"Oh you're _on_!" Roger said, pulling two more guns from his backpack.

"Why do you have so many nerf guns!?" Kate asked.

"Always come prepared!" Roger said matter-of-factly, handing Castle and Beckett each a gun.

"I don't know guys." Kate said. "We probably shouldn't inside."

"Oh come _on_!" Roger, Charles, David, and Castle said.

She gave Castle a look. He shrugged.

"Come on, Katie." One of the twins said. "Stop being a chicken."

Kate rolled her eyes. It was on. She lifted her gun and aimed it right at them. They all shrieked and scattered. Kate looked at Castle with a smile. "Let's split up and get these kids so we can go talk to the rest of the family."

Castle beamed at her. This was so _not_ her. Or maybe it was. Maybe she acted like this with her family. He nodded and turned to follow after the twins who had ran back toward the food and drinks.

_Good._ Kate thought. She'd take Roger. She turned around, and walked slowly around, her eyes scanning for sight of the boy. She met eyes with a few of her cousins, who gave her knowing smiles. They'd talk to her later.

She thought she caught sight of Roger behind one of the tables. She slowly crept up, crouching down to peer around the table. She smiled. He was there.

She pulled back her gun and aimed it at the boy's chest. Just as she was about to shoot, she heard a loud crash and jumped to her feet.

She looked around. The room had grown silent except for the music playing. The twins stood in the middle of the room with wide eyes. They, along with everyone else, was staring at Castle who was standing next to the drink table, staring down at the punch bowl and the pool of the red drink the was on the floor next to him. He was blushing in embarrassment as her family snickered.

_Oh Castle._

* * *

**The whole nerf gun thing happens to be a true story. (: We have a cousin who is a cop and two of my cousins attacked her with nerf guns. :) **

**Thoughts?**

**OH! And if you're in the mood to cry and rip your face off, I suggest this fic-  
**_**Into the Dark by: rainbow-dango**_

**It's very good!**


	5. Do Me A Favor?

**Precious Things**

**Chapter Five**

**AN: Thanks for the awesome support!  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything…except the characters I created; Beckett's family: Joyce, Carrie, Seamus, Natalie, Mark, Emily, Peter, Roger, Kayla, Conner, Jeremy, Ron, Pamela, Jack, Angela, Charles, David, Matt, Christina, Danny, Emma, Olivia, Terri, Jon, Anna, Aaliyah, Britney, Chloe, Sara, Liam, Andrew, Samuel, Ruth, Jacen, Carol, Thomas, Loretta, Mike, Kimmy, and Miranda.**

* * *

Castle sat, staring down at his sock-clad feet. They weren't even his socks. Kate's Uncle Ron got a pair he had in his bag from his truck for him to wear after the punch bowl accident.

Castle was still red with embarrassment. Everyone had been staring at him, laughing silently until they heard Kate lose it. She started laughing so hard at him until her whole family was shaking with laughter.

His embarrassment continued until Nana spoke up and told everyone to get the mess cleaned up. She then told him to get his shoes off. After seeing his soiled socks, she sent the family on a sock hunt.

_Thank God for Nana._

"Don't worry too much about it." Came a voice from in front of him, pulling him from his thoughts. He looked up to see a man about his age, with dark brown eyes and darker hair. "When I was first introduced to the family, I set a chair on fire."

Castle looked up at him and laughed.

"I'm Mark, by the way." He said, sitting down at the table next to him, reaching to shake Castle's hand.

Castle shook his hand. "I'm Rick. Kate's boyfriend."

Mark nodded knowingly.

"And you…married Kate's cousin?" Castle asked. "I'm still trying to figure out who is who."

The man chuckled. "Yeah, I married her cousin Natalie. And Natalie is Carrie and Seamus' daughter."

Castle nodded. "So, how long have you two been married?"

Mark smiled. "Ten years last month."

"Congratulations." Castle said. "Any kids?" He asked, wondering if it was Mark's kid who attacked him with fake fire arms.

"Yeah. Two boys, Conner and Jeremy." He said, pointing over to the two boys pushing fire trucks across the floor. "Conner is seven and Jeremy is five. Natalie was pregnant with him at the last family reunion. This is the first time most of the family has met him so, they've all pretty well spoiled him."

Castle laughed.

"You have any kids?" Mark asked.

Castle nodded. "Yeah, I have a daughter. Alexis. She's nineteen."

"How do she and Kate get along? Kate's always been great with kids…but I guess yours isn't really a kid anymore."

"Well, when I first met Kate Alexis was about fifteen. And Alexis really looked up to her. As time went on she even went to Kate for some advice…but about a year ago there was kind of a rough patch." He said, thinking back to the angry face of his daughter after finding out about his new found relationship with the detective. "But they're great now. Conspiring against me. Too many women in the house."

Mark laughed at that. "How is she doing, by the way. Kate." He asked. "Since her shooting."

"Oh, she's been good." He didn't really want to talk about how he didn't see her for the first three months…and he wasn't sure if she wanted her PTSD mentioned. When really, the PTSD was pretty much rare anymore. She's only had a few panic attacks since the sniper case. "She's been really good. Back to work and better than ever."

Mark seemed to be relieved. "That's good."

"Are you two close?" Castle asked.

Mark nodded. "I'm closer to her than any of Nat's other cousins."

"Why?"

"When Natalie first brought me around, no one really liked me at all. I had a…past." He said, making air quotes around the word 'past'. "I'd just dated a lot and the family knew. They're all really protective of each other. Kate was the only one who kind of stood up for me and told everyone to knock it off."

_Well shit_. Castle thought. With his playboy rep and two previous marriages, he wasn't going to be liked was he?

Mark must've noticed the look on his face because he smiled and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry. If they start picking on you, Katie will put them in their place."

Castle smiled. Speaking of Kate, where was she? His eyes scanned the room until he saw her holding hands with five year old Jeremy as the boy whispered something in her ear. He couldn't help but smile. She was going to be an amazing mother one day.

Mark followed his eyes until he reached Kate. He looked over at him and saw that familiar smile on his face. "You love her, don't you?" Mark asked.

Castle was shocked for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I do." He couldn't help but smile as he spoke.

The man nodded. It was obvious. All over his face. "Do me a favor though?" Mark asked.

Castle looked away from Kate to focus his full attention on the man in front of him. "Of course." He responded.

"Don't hurt her." Mark said, seriously. "She's been hurt way too many times than she deserves."

Castle nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat. "I know she has. And I don't ever want to be the thing that's hurting her. I just want her to be happy."

Mark must've believed him because he smiled brightly at him. He was going to say something but was interrupted by two small children running and screaming in their direction. Both men looked up in time to see Jeremy and Conner sprinting toward them with Kate in tow.

Mark caught Jeremy before he could slam his head into the table. "You know, maybe if you wore something other than four inch heels you could've kept up with a five year old." Mark said, with a smirk, standing to pull Kate into a hug.

"Shut up." She muttered, hugging him back. They pulled away from the hug and Kate smiled at the man before turning to the kids at their feet. "You have some very handsome boys." She said, speaking to Mark but looking directly at the boys. They both blushed and looked away.

Castle didn't blame them. He'd be blushing too.

Kate looked up from the kids and her eyes settled on Castle. "Castle, sorry I abandoned you to have to talk to him." She said jokingly.

Mark and Castle laughed as Kate took a seat next to Castle.

"Actually, Kate, your boyfriend and I were getting along just fine until we found out that you couldn't handle two little kids."

Kate rolled her eyes and looked between the two. "Huh, so you two are friends. Should I be worried?"

Castle laughed and grabbed her hand underneath the table.

She looked over at him at his gesture. "How's you feet?" She asked quietly.

"Fine, Kate. It was just punch." He laughed.

"Okay," She smirked. "Well how's your pride?"

"Oh. Ouch!" Came the voice of seven year old Conner from his father's lap.

Kate and Mark both laughed. Conner gave his father a high-five at the surprised look on Castle's face.

* * *

After eating their dinner of spaghetti and meatballs with Natalie, Mark, Conner, and Jeremy. Kate grabbed Castle and took him around to meet the rest of her family.

In that time he's learned some things. Her aunts and uncles were all very very nice. Her cousin Matt was nice, but shy. Natalie was very chatty. Emily was…okay, her and Kate often have little tiffs during the reunion (told to him by Nana, not Kate.). Her cousin Loretta is very distant and keeps to herself. And her cousin Miranda, whom Kate is closest with, has a new boyfriend and couldn't make it to the dinner tonight because of work.

He took a deep breath as they night started winding down and they approached what seemed to be one of the last family members left.

"Hey! Danny!" Kate said, as they walked up behind the man. He slowly turned and signaled her to be a little quieter because of the sleeping little girl in his arms and the other one drowsily holding onto his pant leg.

Castle recognized the little girl standing to be Aaliyah.

"Hey Katie." Danny whispered. "How're you doing."

Kate smiled. "Good." She stepped a little closer and looked at the little girl. "Is this Britney?" She asked in disbelief.

Danny nodded. "She's gotten so big, hasn't she?"

Kate nodded. "Both of them are gorgeous." She paused. "Where's Emma?"

"Pulling the car up." He said, his eyes shifting to Castle. "Who's this? Besides the guy who caused the punch bowl disaster."

Castle's face turned red again as Kate laughed. "This is Richard Castle, my boyfriend."

Danny nodded. "The author right? You have those books based on Katie?"

Castle nodded. "Yeah."

"I'm Danny." The man said. "I'd shake you hand, but." He said, nodding to the sleeping blonde in his arms.

Castle smiled at him. "That's okay."

About that time a red SUV pulled up and Danny said his goodbyes and walked his girls to the car before hopping in himself and speeding off.

Kate and Castle looked around. The only people left were a few of her cousins gathering their things, who they had already said their goodbyes to.

Kate looked down at her watch to see that the time was 11:45 p.m. She grabbed Castle's hand and tugged him toward the door. "Come on, Castle. Let's go. We have to be up early for breakfast with the family tomorrow."

Castle nodded and let her lead the way.

* * *

"You think they liked me?" Castle asked as they were laying in the darkness of their hotel room. Once getting back to the hotel they both showered, yes together, and then climbed into bed.

Kate had rolled on her side and let Castle pull her back and curl around her body. She had sighed and settled into his embrace when he suddenly had become chatty.

"Nana _loved_ you." She said. "And so did everyone else. So you can stop worrying. Now can we sleep? We have to be back there at eight tomorrow. Which is now seven hours away."

Castle chuckled and held her tighter. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on whatever part of her he could find, her neck this time. "I love you." He breathed onto her neck.

She shivered at his breath on her. "I love you, too." She said. "Now…sleep."

* * *

**Thoughts?**


	6. Blue Balloon

**Precious Things**

**Chapter Six**

**AN: I love you guys!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned them the show would be rated NC-17.**

* * *

"Wake up, Castle!" She said again, poking him harder in the shoulder. "We cannot be late for breakfast or Nana will kill us." She hissed.

"Sound like a little kid." Castle mumbled into the pillow with what sounded like a chuckle.

"Seriously Castle." She said, pulling the covers from his body.

He sighed and sat up in defeat, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What time is it?"

"7:30!" She said, loudly.

Castle looked her over. Her hair was curled and her make up was done but she was still in her pajamas. "You're not dressed yet either."

"Yes," She said. "But that will take me five minutes to. Unlike you, who will take at least twenty to do your hair."

"Hey, no need to get cranky with me just because you're tired. You're the one who jumped me in the middle of _my_ shower."

He received a light smack in the face from a pillow for that, but he laughed anyway. He could even see her smiling as she threw on another pair of jeans and a green v-neck shirt.

"Casual again?" Castle asked, getting out of bed and stretching.

She nodded, buttoning her jeans. "Yeah, everyday is casual except for dinner on the last night."

He grabbed a pair of jeans and a red button up shirt and quickly changed. He then grabbed his comb and electric razor and made his way toward the bathroom.

"Fifteen minutes." She reminded him.

"Yeah yeah." He grumbled.

* * *

When they arrived back at the dance hall, they walked inside to find it full again, bursting with chatter and excited children with balloons. Balloons? Sounds like something Nana would give them.

As soon as they stepped in, they were greeted by Jim who chatted for a few minutes before moving on to talk to his brother.

As they made their way to the table, someone tapped Kate on the back, causing her to jump slightly. They both turned and were met with the smiling face of Kate's cousin Miranda. She was a little shorter than Kate with dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

"Miranda!" Kate exclaimed, smiling brightly.

Miranda pulled Kate into a hug. "God, Kate you look gorgeous! Look at you!"

"Look at me? Look at you!" Kate said, holding the woman at arms-length. "You look great!"

Miranda's smile grew soft and she squeezed Kate's bicep lightly. "How are you?"

Kate smiled back. "I'm good, Ran."

"You sure?" Miranda asked, concern for her cousin shinning brightly. "I wish I could've come to see you and help you out. I'm sure Uncle Jim drove you insane."

Kate laughed. "He just…hovered. A lot." She said. "And, really, it's fine. I didn't expect you to fly from Texas."

Miranda still gave her a guilty squeeze. "I know, but I-"

"No, come on. It's fine. I'm fine. Better than ever, right Castle?" She asked, looking toward her partner.

Castle nodded quickly. "Yeah. She's doing fine."

Miranda nodded and gave Castle a smile before whipping her head back to Kate. "This is Castle?" She asked, beaming. "Your boyfriend?"

Kate nodded with a smile.

Miranda turned around and Castle extended his hand but Miranda ignored it and pulled him down into a tight hug. Castle froze, surprised for a minute before hugging her back gently.

Kate laughed at the scene. "This is my cousin Miranda, Rick." She paused. "She's a hugger."

Miranda chuckled at her older cousin and pulled away from Castle. "I'm sorry! I've just heard so much about you!"

"You have?" Castle asked her, sending a smirk in Kate's direction.

Miranda nodded. "Oh yeah, Kate talks about you all the time."

"Oh does she now?" Castle grinned.

Kate groaned and ran a hand through her hair. "Ran, don't you have some new boyfriend too? Where is he?" She asked. Anything to change the subject; she didn't need Castle to know that she talked about her like she was some fourteen year old girl talking about her first boyfriend.

"Oh, yeah, Will? He's parking the car." She said.

About that time Kate saw a man she didn't recognize, obviously Will, walk in the doors. His eyes scanned until he found Miranda. He approached them with a shy smile. Kate smiled back. The man looked nice, sweet. He had light brown hair, half a shade darker than Miranda, hazel eyes, a thin build, and was about Miranda's height; shorter than Castle and Beckett both. He was younger too. Around Miranda's age who was only twenty-nine.

Upon seeing him, Miranda stepped away from them which allowed Castle to take a step closer to Kate, their hands touching.

Miranda grabbed Will's hand with a bright smile and pulled him toward them.

"Will," She said sweetly. "This is my cousin Kate and her boyfriend Rick. And guys, this is Will."

Kate smiled politely and shook his hand. Castle did the same. Will gave Castle a nervous smile. Castle nodded knowingly and gave the man's hand a squeeze.

"It's nice to meet you both." Will says. "Ran talks about you all the time Kate."

Kate was about to say something when the voice of Nana interrupted. "Miranda, Kate! Girls, come here and help your grandmother please! Leave your boyfriends for a minute."

Kate and Miranda gave each other a look before turning to the boys and telling them they'd be back. Castle and Will nodded and watched as they ran off to their grandmother.

They stood there in silence. A little awkwardly to be honest.

"So," Will began, breaking the silence. Castle looked over at him with his hands in his pockets. "Is this your first time meeting the family?"

Castle nodded. "Yeah, except I've met her Dad. You?"

"Yeah, even though Miranda lives on her Grandmother's farm she's never introduced me."

Castle nodded awkwardly before clearing his throat. "How long have you and Miranda known each other?"

Will smiled. "We were neighbors as kids. We've known each other for years. But we just started dating about six months ago when we ran into each other at the mall."

Castle smiled at that. It was sweet. You'd never expect to grow up and date the little girl that lived across the street.

"You and Kate?" Will asked.

"We worked together for four years. A lot of ups and downs." Castle said. "But some stuff happened and we've been dating for about a year now." He smiled.

"She's the detective right?" Will asked. "They have so many family members." He said with a chuckle.

Castle laughed at that. "Yeah. She is. And yeah, I know."

"Oh." Will said. "So, you must be Richard Castle?"

Castle nodded with a smile. "Yeah, that would be me."

"I love you books." Will said. "The Nikki Heat series is great."  
"Well thank you I-"

"Rick!" Yelled Jim Beckett, running up from behind him. "Rick!"

Castle turned around quickly and looked at Kate's father. Oh god. Oh no. What was going on. "What's wrong?" He asked, his eyes scanning for Kate.

"Katie," He said, out of breath. "She's having a panic attack."

Oh no. Castle quickly took off in the direction from where Jim had come from. He noticed how the whole room had grown silent. He noticed her whole family gathered over by a table. He made his way over there, pushing through them he could see Kate's feet sticking out from underneath the table, shaking lightly.

Oh Kate. He thought gently.

He looked around at the scared faces of her family. He silently tried to tell them to back away and give her space. When they didn't listen, Nana stared to shoo them all back.

"Give the girl some room to breathe!" She said.

Castle smiled greatly at her. He looked down at her feet. She liked to be alone when she had her panic attacks. She didn't have them often; twice since the sniper case. But he knew she liked to work it out alone…but he couldn't let her this time. He couldn't let her sit under the table alone on the cold floor, scared and no doubt embarrassed.

He got down on his knees and crawled underneath. He pushed the tablecloth out of the way and moved to sit completely inside. His knees popped at the action. They'd hurt like hell later.

He froze when he laid eyes on her. She was sitting back against the leg of the table. Her eyes were shut tightly as she tried to breathe evenly. Her hands were balled in fists on her knees that were pulled up to her chest.

"What happened?" He asked softly, scooting to sit next to her. He reached out and placed a hand on one of her fists. To his surprise, she unclenched it slowly to grab onto his hand, squeezing it just as tight.

"The balloons." She breathed, still keeping her eyes closed. "One of the kids popped the balloons. Trigged my PTSD." She still tried to even her breathing. "Oh God, Castle I didn't want them to know about this."

"I know." He said, moving his free hand to her leg rubbing it gently. "It's okay. They're just worried."

Castle noticed the small tear the escaped her eyes. She opened her eyes at that, she must've been okay then. Her breathing was almost normal and she wasn't cutting off his hand circulation. Before she could, he reached forward and wiped at the tears. "Hey, it's okay. Nothing to be ashamed off."

She nodded slowly and leaned forward to hug him tightly, surprising him and herself at the action. "I just didn't want them to see me like this." She mumbled into his neck.

Castle rubbed a hand up and down her back. "They're not going to think any less of you. They love you." He said. "And I love you." He added on.

"I love you, too." She said, pulling away from his embrace to give him a small smile to tell him that she was okay. She kissed his lips quickly. "Let's get out before they start to get suspicious." She grinned.

He chuckled and crawled out first; he stood up and reached a hand down to help her up. She smiled and took it as he lifted her to her feet. They looked around at everyone. They all looked back with smiles. Jim must've explained. They all looked like they knew or they wouldn't be smiling. They'd be freaking out.

Kate glanced down at the kids who were standing together. They were all holding balloons except for seven year old Conner who was holding the broken remnants of his blue balloon. They all looked at her with wide eyes.

Aaliyah nudged Conner with her elbow, giving him a sharp look. He looked up at his older cousin before turning back to Castle and Beckett.

He took a few shameful steps forward until he was right at her feet. He looked up with tears shining in his eyes. "I'm so sorry I scared you Katie. I didn't meant to pop the balloon."

Kate felt her heart break at the sight. She dropped to her knees and pulled him into a hug. "It's not your fault sweetie."

"Put I popped the balloon." He sobbed into her hair.

She felt Castle's hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault I got scared. Don't blame yourself." She said, pulling away to swipe her thumb at the tears. "Stop crying, Conner it's okay. I promise. I'm fine."

He nodded at her and sprang forward to hug her again. "Can I sit by you when we eat?" He asked.

Kate smiled into the boy's hair. "Of course you can."

* * *

**Thoughts?**

**And guys, if you're in the mood for a angsty fic that will just rip your heart out? Check out this wonderful piece by my good friend Ellie: Into the Dark by: rainbow-dango. And it's under my favorite stories list too. (: I highly recommend it. **


	7. Oh My Gosh

**Precious Things**

**Chapter Seven**

**AN: You guys are amazing! I'm so sorry I took so long to update. School has been crazy. :P**

**Disclaimer: For some unknown reason, I do not own Castle.**

* * *

Castle picked at the eggs on his plate and looked over at Kate who was sitting to his left with Conner next to her. He was on the end with no one sitting at his right. Kate had a huge smile on her face as she laughed at the story that Natalie was telling.

"And then Kate said 'Come on, Nat! Don't be a baby!' I couldn't take that from my little cousin! So, Kate, Emily, and I snuck out of Nana's house and walked down the street to where Evan, Jackson, and Zack lived. They had the fireworks ready when we go there. So we all went back into the backyard and set them off. The first two went okay but the third one crashed into the Jackson's barn next door. It only took like two seconds for the whole thing to be in flames."

"Whoa!" Castle, interrupted. All eyes turned to him. "Oh sorry. But my god-"

"Gosh." Nana corrected.

Castle's face turned red as Kate laughed next to him "_Gosh_." He said. "You guys set a barn on fire?!"

Natalie, Emily, and Kate all laughed and nodded.

"Oh yes!" Nana said. "Those girls were just trouble. You can't imagine the money I had to pay those people!"

Castle laughed at the woman trying to sound annoyed, but also had the biggest smile on her face.

"Oh Nana, what are you calling us trouble for?" Emily said. "You helped us spray silly string all over the inside of Mr. Miller's car!"

"Oh but dear that's different; I didn't like him!"

Castle couldn't help but burst into laughter at that.

* * *

"So, Rick," Nana began. "Katie tells me you have a daughter?"

Rick nodded. "Yeah, Alexis, she's 19."

"Why didn't you bring her along?" Nana asked.

"Uh, well she's in school, and um that was never really brought up-"

"Katherine!" Nana said sternly, cutting Castle off. "Why didn't you invite the girl!?"

Kate jumped at the sudden change in her grandmother. "I didn't think of it Nana I-"

Nana shook her head. "Rick, tell me about her."

Castle smiled. "She's 19, like a said, and doing great in college. She's great, I have no idea how she turned out so great with me as her parent. Heck, she was raising me more than I was raising her."

Kate rolled her eyes. "You're a great Dad, Rick."

Castle looked over and gave her a smile. They shared a look as her family watched on. Smiles creeped onto her cousins' faces as Nana interrupted them. "Kate, how do you and Alexis get along?"

"Oh," Kate said, breaking Castle's stare. "Great. She's a great kid."

Castle smiled at her words. No matter how many times he caught them texting each other, or making fun of him as he cooked breakfast, or sharing a midnight conversation over ice cream, he was still thrilled whenever he heard either of them talk about the other in that way. He wanted to two most important people in his life to love each other. And they did.

* * *

"I swear, Nana reminds me of Betty White." Castle said, flopping down on the bed.

Kate laughed and kicked her heels off. "That's a compliment right?"

Castle mock-gasped. "Of course! Betty White is awesome!"

Kate smiled as she looked in the mirror and ran a hand through her hair before turning back and sitting down on the bed next to Castle. "I'm exhausted."

"I say we take a nap." He said lying back on the pillow. He patted the spot beside him and she rolled her eyes and lowered down next to him. They rolled over to face each other.

"Castle, it's already 2. If we take a nap now we'll be up late and then never get up tomorrow morning."

Castle reached out and tugged her closer to him. "What's on the agenda for tomorrow?"

"Hm," Kate thought. "Spending the afternoon fishing or playing games or something on Nana's farm and then we all camp out…well except Nana."

Castle groaned. "Do I at least get to share a tent with you?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows mischievously.

Kate laughed. "Yes, me and probably two of the kids."

"Aw, so no camping sex?"

"Would you honestly have sex with me while my Dad is in a tent less than four feet away?" She asked.

Castle shrugged. "Well anyway, you said afternoon? So we can sleep in tomorrow…so it'd be perfectly fine to take a nap." He insisted.

Kate sighed. She _was_ tired. So she nodded and gave in. She scooted closer to him so that she could snuggle into his chest. He liked to cuddle when they napped; she knew this. "Fine, you win."

"Whoa, what!" Castle said with a smile. "Can you repeat that?"

"Shut up, Castle."

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "Your family is awesome." He said after a few moments of silence.

"You think so?" Kate asked.

He nodded. "No wonder you're so extraordinary."

She couldn't help the smile. His words could get to her sometime. ""I'm glad you like them."

"You think they like me?" He asked.

"Yeah, Castle. How many times do I need to say it before you believe me?"

"I'll let you know."

* * *

"Chinese or pizza?" Castle asked.

"Pizza." She said. "The Chinese place doesn't deliver." She stood from the bed and stretched their nap had lasted about four hours and it was now dinner time; and they were starving.

"I can go get Chinese if you want it." He offered, knowing that she'd always want Chinese over Pizza.

Kate smiled and walked over to sit down next to him at the little table where he was flipping through a phone book. "Pizza is fine, Castle."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm starving, just order it."

Castle smiled. "Yeah I better hurry; you're cranky when you're angry."

She rolled her eyes and pulled her phone from her pocket as Castle ordered. She smiled at the texts from Lanie and the boys.

**Lanie: Hey, how's Writerboy holding up with the Beckett army?  
Esposito: Yo Beckks, you're never leaving again, Gates is worse than usual this week.  
****Ryan: Little Castle must be bored; she stopped by to talk to us today after she finished up with Lanie.**

As she read the last one her smile faded. Should she have invited Alexis? She looked up to see Castle finishing up the call.

"Thank you, bye." He said before clicking off.

"Hey, Castle?"

He sat the phone down and looked at her. "Yeah?"

She thought for a second. How did she say this without sounding like a whiny teenager? "You're not…you aren't angry or anything that I didn't invite Alexis did you?"

Castle smiled at her. "It's fine…do I seem angry? I'm just happy you wanted to share this with me."

"But it's not that I didn't want to share this with her." Kate said. "I just didn't know if she'd want to, but do you think she would've? I know she doesn't have any classes this week and Ryan said she's been at the precinct bored…and I feel bad."

"Kate," Castle laughed. "You know you're amazing right?" He said, standing to move over to the chair next to her.

"Really?" She asked with a smirk. "Then why are you laughing at me?"

He shook his head. "Just because, no one has ever cared so much about Alexis' happiness."

"That's not true." Kate said, interrupting. "Meredith and Gina both cared."

Castle nodded. "Yeah, but it's different. Meredith is her Mom and while she cares...it's never really what Alexis wants. Meredith has good intentions but her and Alexis are too different." He said. "And Gina? Yeah she cared, but…this is different. I can see it all over you how much you are worried about her and I love you for that."

Kate shook her head to hide the smile. "Like I said Castle, she's a great kid." She paused and looked up at him. "Do you want to call her and see if she maybe wants to fly down?"

Castle gave her a surprised look. "Seriously?"

She nodded. "Yeah, Nana would adore her…and my Dad already does." She paused. "And I know the kids would too."

"Okay, yeah. Yeah, sure." He smiled. "I'll call her right now."

* * *

**Okay guys, again, sorry for the wait. And as I read over the end, Kate may be a little OOC…but I don't know, I feel like her relationship with Alexis could be kind of…a touchy subject for her and it's obviously important to Castle…**

**But omg, leave a review and tell me what you think? Please?**

**Oh, and the barn thing is a true story. My mom and her cousins set a neighbor's barn on fire. :P**

**Oh and one last thing,**

**CASTLE TOMORROW. **

_**TOMORROW.**_


	8. Thanks for Inviting Me

**Precious Things**

**Chapter 8**

**AN: You guys are amazing, beautiful, flawless reviewers! I got to 100 reviews and I let out a very un-human squeal. Thank you guys for sticking around through that long time without an update! Gah, I love ya. (:**

* * *

"Do you see her?" Castle asked as he frantically scanned the crowd. "She was supposed to meet us here ten minutes ago."

Kate smiled and squeezed his hand that rested in hers. "Calm down, Castle. She's probably just getting her luggage." As she spoke she looked through the sea of people also; she'd be lying if she said that the last ten minutes hadn't been nerve-wracking. Just as she was about to look away, bright red hair rounded the corner and she smiled. The girl surveyed the area with two bags in her hands, her blue eyes looked frantic; tired. _Ah, college._ Kate thought.

"Alexis!" She called, waving at the girl.

Alexis found her father and Kate and smiled. She pushed through the crowd toward them. Castle met her halfway and took her bags from her before pulling the girl into a hug. "Hey, pumpkin. How're you doin'?"

"Good," Alexis smiled. "Tired." She let go of her father and turned toward Kate, pulling her into a hug. "Thanks for inviting me Kate."

Kate smiled and squeezed the girl. "I'm glad you could come. I should've thought to ask when I asked your Dad."

"It's totally fine, Kate. It's great that you asked Dad."

"I don't mean to interrupt the little conversation," Castle interrupted. "But, as you've said Kate, Nana will kill us if we're late."

Kate smiled with a nod.

"Nana?" Alexis asked with a smirk.

"You'll meet her." Kate said, following after Castle.

* * *

"Should I be nervous?" Alexis whispered to her father as they walked behind Kate along the dirt path leading up to her grandmother's house.

Castle shook his head and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "If they liked me, they'll love you."

Alexis was about to say something when Kate turned around. "Don't worry Alexis; they will. Especially the kids. In fact, a few of the girls wanted to meet you."

"Really?" Alexis asked. "How old are they? I love kids."

"The three girls are ten…and then there are other kids ranging from three to twelve." She said. "The three oldest boys are twelve and eleven and will attack at any moment with various toys." She said with a smile.

"And there's Kate's little shadow, Conner." Castle smiled. "He's seven?"

Kate nodded. "Yeah."

Alexis looked around. They were walking toward a house she'd learned to be Nana's. It wasn't large…but it wasn't small either. It was light blue, two stories, with a porch that went all around the house. Flower pots and a white swing decorated the porch. About that time, a group of seven kids came running around the corner of the porch, holding nerf guns in their hands.

"Who are they?" Alexis asked Kate, pointing at them.

Kate smiled. "That's Aaliyah, Kayla, Sara, Roger, David, Charles, and Conner." She said. "Watch out for them. They'll attack you and never let you stop playing with them."

Alexis laughed at that. They must've caught the kids' attention because Aaliyah yelled for them to pause the game and then the herd of children with their loud screams and muddy clothes came running toward them at full speed, racing to see who would make it first.

Kayla won the race, crashing into Kate. Hard. Causing her to stumble back. Aaliyah was next, her arms wrapping around Castle. The rest of the kids followed all at once, some grabbing onto Kate and the others grabbing Castle.

"Katie!" Shrieked Conner from somewhere in the mix of the kids. She spotted him crushed between Roger and Sara. "Help! They're big stupid butts are crushing me!"

The kids all gasped at his insult.

"Hey don't call me stupid!"

"You're stupid!"

"Shut up you little dork!"

"Who let the baby play with us anyway?!"

Kate shook her head an pried arms off of her and signaled Castle to do the same. "Stop fighting now…and back up so Conner can breathe."

After loud sighs and grumbles, they all parted and Conner made his way to Kate to throw his arms around her. She reached down to ruffle his hair. "What are you kids up to?"

"Nerf battle!" Roger said. "Girls versus boys!"

Castle smirked. "Who is winning?"

"Boys!" Aaliyah said. "And if they win, they get our clubhouse!"

"You guys have a club house?" Kate asked. "Where?"

Aaliyah looked back and forth from Sara and Kayla.

"It's in a secret place." Kayla said. "We can't tell you right now. We'll show you later when the boys and Rick aren't around."

"Hey!" Castle said. "Why can't I know?"

"You're a boy! Duh!" Sara said.

Alexis laughed at the scene, causing attention to shift her way. When she noticed that all eyes were on her, she froze and smiled at them.

"Oh," Kate said. "Guys, this is Rick's daughter, Alexis."

Aaliyah, Sara, and Kayla and looked back and forth excitedly. "Oh my gosh!" They yelled.

"Hi." Before Alexis could get another word out, Aaliyah and Sara each had one of her hands and were dragging her toward the house. "Come on! We'll show you the club house!"

Kate and Rick laughed at the look on Alexis' face. "Wait, wait!" Castle said. "Girls, bring Alexis back. We need to let her meet all the adults first."

"And, guys, she's an adult; she might want to talk to the adults." Kate warned them.

The three girls all looked up at Alexis expectantly. "You don't want to play with us?"

"Oh, no! I just want to meet everyone first!" Alexis assured them. "I defiantly want to see your club house."

The girls all smiled again. "Will you help us beat the boys?"

Alexis looked around the group of four boys with a smirk. "Defiantly."

* * *

**This chapter is kind of short, but the next one should be pretty long. You guys are great! (: **


	9. Would she?

**Precious Things**

**Chapter 9**

**AN: Thank you for pointing out the defiantly/definitely mistake. I DO IT ALL THE TIME. When I'm typing, I literally misspell like every word and rely on spell-check so much. I know the difference between the two. Note to self: Don't be lazy. Re-read before you post. (: **

* * *

"Mark!" Castle said with a smile as the man approached him, Kate and, Alexis.

Mark shook Castle's hand again and gave Kate a quick hug. "Hey guys, who is this?" He asked, looking at Alexis with a smile.

"This is Rick's daughter, Alexis." Kate said. "Alexis, this is my cousin Mark."

Mark took Alexis' hand and shook it. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Alexis said. "Kate never told us she had such a big family."

Mark chatted with them for a few minutes before leaving in search of his son. Kate looked around and spotted Nana sitting under a tree near the grill where the rest of the adults were standing around and talking.

"Come on, Alexis." Kate said. "Nana is going to be so excited." Kate said, grabbing for the girl's hand to pull her along. The action surprised the teen; Kate wasn't really known for any gestures like that. She looked over her shoulder at her father who shrugged at her with a smile. She gave him a smile back and then turned back around to swerve through the group of adults that lead to Nana.

Kate stopped when they reached the white haired old woman sitting on the blue lawn chair.

"Nana?" Kate said.

The woman turned and smiled at her granddaughter. "Hi sweetheart," Her eyes then drifted to the girl next to her. "Katie, who else have you brought for us to meet?" Nana said, smiling warmly at Alexis.

"This is Rick's daughter, Alexis."

Alexis studied the woman. She could see Kate in the woman, mostly her eyes. She also had that same warm, inviting smile that made you feel as if you could trust them with all of your secrets.

"Oh! Look at you!" Nana said loudly. "Rick and Katie never told me how pretty you are!"

Alexis blushed and reached her hand out to shake the woman's hand. "Thank you. It's nice to meet you."

Nana looked at the girl's hand with a smirk. "Honey, I don't know how you do it up in the Big Apple, but here in Texas we hug. So, lean down here and give Nana a hug."

Alexis hesitated for a moment before leaning down to gently hug her. As Alexis gently squeezed the woman, Nana hugged her tightly. "It's nice to meet you, dear."

Alexis pulled away. "It's nice to meet you too…uh, Mrs. Beckett?" Alexis asked awkwardly.

"Nana."

Alexis nodded. "Nana."

Nana opened her mouth to say something when she noticed Kate and Castle standing behind Alexis.

"Rick, darlin', nice to see you again."

Rick grinned. "Nice to see you Nana."

She nodded. "That's nice, now go away."

Kate looked at her questionably. "Nana?"

"You two can go bother someone else while I talk to Alexis, here." She said, rolling her eyes. "Find all of those kids, they've been talking about you non-stop. I'm sure you'll have a full tent tonight."

Rick and Kate exchanged looks and shrugged, turning to leave.

Once they were gone, Nana turned back to Alexis. "So, tell me about yourself, dear."

* * *

"Come on, Rick!" Mark said. "Come fishing with Jim, Nat, Emily, and I."

Castle shook his head. "No, I've never been and-"

"You've never been fishing?" Natalie and Emily said at the same time.

Mark shook his head. "You're coming." He said, grabbing Castle's shirt and dragging him to the door.

"You're not coming?" He asked Kate who was standing at the counter of Nana's kitchen, eating from a bowl of strawberries with Danny and Miranda.

Danny laughed. "Kate is the worst fisher ever."

Everyone else, including Kate, nodded in agreement.

"Good luck getting him to stay quiet!" Kate said as they all exited the house. Castle shot her a look over his shoulders as the disappeared from view as they headed to the pond. Kate chuckled and popped another strawberry into her mouth.

"You two are beyond cute." Miranda said to Kate.

Kate gave her cousin a look and rolled her eyes. "Thanks Ran."

"Seriously, though. How did you two work together for four years without all of this?" She asked, looking at Danny who nodded too.

"You know, I think you and my best friend Lanie would really get along."

Danny chuckled. "But in all seriousness," He said. "You two really make a great couple."

Kate couldn't help the stupid smile and blush that rushed to her cheeks. "Thanks, Danny."

Miranda and Danny exchanged at look as they watched their cousin. It'd been so long since they'd seen her so happy; not since Johanna was murdered. Nothing had ever brought her the happiness that this…this man did.

"I like him." Danny said. "He really loves you."

Kate wasn't expecting that from her cousin. However, she nodded. "Yeah, he does." She said a little quieter.

Miranda studied her. "You don't love him?"

Her head shot up. "Yes, yeah. I do. I love him."

Danny believed her, he really did. "Then what's the problem?"

Kate sighed. There wasn't a problem…just a thought she kept having. "It's nothing." She began. "I just…I keep thinking that I-I wish my Mom was here to meet him." There, she said it. No matter how childish she thought it sounded; it was out there.

Her cousin's looked back at her. It'd been quite a while since they'd seen this honest, vulnerable Kate. They remembered when Johanna was first killed; Kate wouldn't talk to anyone about it. She just closed herself f off…jumped head first into the force. But now? She seemed to be letting it out…grieving like she never did over a decade ago.

"She'd be proud of you." Danny said, breaking the silence.

Kate looked up. "You think so?"

Miranda nodded. "Look how far you've come." She said with a smile. "You-you've moved on…you've learned to live your own life."

"Yeah," Danny said. "You're also like her in so many ways. You're smart, determined, and you have the same big heart that she had…you just used to hide yours."

Kate looked back and forth between her cousins, feeling the tears gather in her eyes. She bowed her head and stared at the strawberries, blinking quickly. She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to-

"She would've loved Rick." Danny said.

Ugh, shit yeah, she was crying.

She wiped at the tears. "You guys…"

Miranda reached out to her older cousin and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "its okay, Katie."

Kate was about to say something when the door opened behind them, they all looked up to see Alexis slowly walking inside.

"Am I interrupting?" She asked slowly. "I can go find my Dad-"

"No, no!" Kate said, wiping at her eyes one more time. "He went fishing come in here so you can meet these two." She gestured at Danny and Miranda.

Alexis nodded and walked over to Kate. "Hi," She said to the two adults. "I'm Rick's daughter, Alexis."

They both smiled and introduced themselves. They three fell into a conversation quickly. Kate sat there, but didn't participate. She thought about what her cousins said. Would her mom be happy with her? If she were here right now, would she be proud? Something told Kate she wouldn't be.

* * *

**Okay, this chapter is a little more angsty I guess. It's just something that I think Kate would feel…in my opinion, from what we know, Kate hasn't really grieved well…and just…this happened. **

**So, if you could tell me what you think? That'd be great. (:**


	10. Sooner

**Precious Things**

**Chapter 10**

**AN: Thanks so much for the reviews! (:**

* * *

Castle sighed and looked up at the sky. The Texas sky was so different than New York's. In Texas, it went on for miles unlike New York that ended whenever the next building began. He could see a brown haired, green eyed little girl running around under this sky. This was a side of Kate he knew so little about. It was fascinating to him; like when he first met her. It was a new mystery to solve; he had to know the story.

Maybe Nikki Heat comes from a big family. Maybe she has an outspoken, loving grandmother. Maybe she has fellow rebellious cousins and adorable second cousins that adore her.

"How're you doing Rick?" Jim asked, starting Castle, causing him to drop his fishing pole into the grass.

Jim chuckled. "Sorry."

Castle shrugged. "That's okay. I don't think fishing is my thing anyway."

Jim nodded in agreement. It definitely wasn't his thing. Between making a ridiculous amount of noise and his inability to sit still, he'd caught nothing. "So, what's got you staring off into space over here?'

"Just thinking." Castle said with a smile.

Jim sat his pole down and took a seat down on the grass with a pop of his knees. He patted the ground next to him and Castle sat. "Care to share?"

"I was just thinking that…this is such a whole new side to Kate that I didn't even know. I thought I knew close to everything about her and it turns out there's this whole life I didn't know about."

"Are you mad at her for not telling you?"

"No, no!" Castle said, quickly. "I'm just…honored that she'd share this, that she wants me a part of this aspect of her life too."

Jim smiled. "You know, when I was talking to my Mom before the reunion, I told her that Katie may be bringing someone with her. And my Mom was so surprised."

"She was?" Castle asked. "Why?"

Jim picked at the grass by his feet. "Katie's never brought a boyfriend…or even a friend down here. Like you said, a whole new side of her life that no one knows about really." He paused. "And, she hadn't been in a 'serious' relationship before you since Will and we know what happened there." Jim sighed. "Everyone was beginning that she wasn't ever going to look past Johanna's death. I think they were all just accepting that."

Castle sat quietly, ripping at the grass by his own feet.

"You know, I haven't seen her this happy in a long time."

Castle looked up and caught the man's eyes.

"You've really helped her, Rick." Jim said. "Thank you."

Castle looked down at the grass. "You don't need to thank me, she really changed me; made me a better person."

Jim smiled. "I'm glad you two found each other."

Castle looked at the ground. He could feel the words coming from his mouth before he could even think about stopping them. "I want to propose." He blurted out.

Jim looked up and caught his eyes. "Propose?"

"I…uh, I don't even have a ring yet. I'll find one when we get back home but I-I love her and I want to marry her." Castle said, fumbling around with his words.

Jim chuckled receiving a confused look from Castle.

"What?" Castle asked. "You're surprised?"

"I'm surprised this didn't happen sooner."

* * *

"I mean, she's not rude or anything," Alexis said, continuing with her story about her roommate to Danny, Kate, and Miranda. "She's just got this really creepy obsession with reptiles. And, I'm not judging or anything because we all have our own hobbies, but I _cannot_ deal with that picture of a giant python staring at me. It freaks me out."

"Oh God." Miranda said. "I can't do snakes."

Danny laughed. "I had a pet snake as a kid and I remember I brought it to one of the reunions and you screamed and wouldn't come anywhere near it."

"That thing was demented." Miranda said.

"And then after that reunion I spent weeks trying to convince my parents to let me get one too." Kate said.

"How'd that go?" Alexis asked with an amused smile.

"I got a goldfish." Kate said. "That died two days later."

The group laughed until a group of people walking in the door interrupting them. They turned to see Castle and the rest of the fishing crew walking in, laughing about their own joke.

"Hey!" Castle said when he caught sight of Kate and Alexis. "What are you guys up to?"

"Talking." Kate said with a smile. "How many fish did you catch?"

Castle shrugged and pretended to tally the total in his head. "Eh about…zero."

Kate, Alexis, Miranda, and Danny all laughed.

He shrugged and came over and stepped between Kate and Alexis. "I'll stick to writing."

The room fell into friendly conversation as people came in and then left. After ten minutes the people gathered in the discussion were Kate, Castle, Alexis, Miranda, and Mark. Danny had been pulled away by his son and no one knew when Mark showed up, only that he did and he had a pitcher of iced tea, so he was gladly welcomed into the chat.

"Oh, I forgot to ask you," Kate began. "What did Nana want to talk about?"

"Just college and living in New York. She also asked about my 'love life.'" Alexis laughed. "Oh and she asked about you two." She said, smiling between the two.

"What about us?" Kate asked.

Alexis shrugged. "She wanted to know if you guys were as cute at home and whether or not I was okay with the relationship and how well you and I get along." She paused. "She really is a sweet woman, Kate"

Before Kate could respond, someone popped their head in the door, interrupting their conversation again.

"Is there a 'girl with orange hair that's tall but not really tall and she's Kate's boyfriend, Rick's daughter and she promised to help us beat the boy so we _really_ need to find her' in here?" Natalie asked with a smirk. "Because the girls are looking for you."

Alexis smiled and turned toward the door. "See you later guys, I gotta go kick some ten year old butts."

* * *

**Kind of short and fluffy. Again with the long wait. I'm sorry. I have so much homework this year and by the time I finish it I never have time for this. :P**


	11. Truce

**Precious Things**

**Chapter 11**

**AN: UGH! Sorry this took so long! School work has been piling up. :P Thank you so much for the response this story has had. I never expected everyone to like it so much. **

* * *

"Katie?" Aaliyah asked.

Kate looked away from Castle to look at the girl who was sitting next to Conner at her left. "Yeah?"

"Can you pass the ketchup?" She asked politely.

Kate handed her the ketchup and Aaliyah went back to her hamburger.

Kate looked back to Castle but his attention was focused on Mark. Kate ate some more of her cheeseburger and looked over to Conner who was picking at his hotdog.

"Hey buddy, what's wrong?" Kate asked.

The boy looked up at her. "Mommy didn't cut up my hotdog." He said with a sigh. "And I'm not allowed to use knives."

Kate smiled. "Want me to do it for you?"

He nodded and scooted his plate in her direction. She quickly cut it into smaller pieces for the seven year old and slid it back to him.

"Thanks, Katie!" He said, smiling as he popped at piece of his hotdog into his mouth with his fingers.

As Kate finished her dinner, Nana approached the front of all of the picnic tables and cleared her throat before speaking. "Okay, okay, everyone quiet down. I have your groups ready."

Everyone instantly grew quiet. Kate looked across the table at Castle and smiled at the confusion written all over his face, the way his brow furrowed and his eyebrows quirked at little. She lifted her foot and ran it along his calf under the table. His attention shifted to her and he gave her a smile.

"I'll explain in a minute." She whispered.

He nodded in response.

"We have two tents in group one." Nana continued. "Two adults and three kids in each tent since your group has the bigger tents."

Everyone nodded, waiting for Nana to go on.

"The four adults in group one are Miranda, Will, Katie, and Rick. Miranda and Will will be in tent one and Katie and Rick in tent two." She said. "The kids get to decide who they're with after all adults are assigned. The four adults can go set up your tents now."

As they stood, Castle walked over to Kate and they started off to the space behind the barn where group one camped.

"I wanna be with Katie!" Conner yelled. Castle smiled and looked at Kate as they walked. By now, all of the kids were arguing to be in Kate and Castle's tent.

"We're popular." Castle commented.

Kate nodded. "Apparently."

They walked in silence for a few seconds before Castle spoke up again. "So, what's with the groups."

"Oh," Kate said. "the groups are mostly just set up so the kids all being looked after when we camp…but it's become sort of an unofficial tradition that groups kind of rival against each other to see who can stay up the longest." She laughs. "It sounds incredibly immature but when we were kids our grandfather used to do it. He would go around and award the winners with candy or something…and I don't know…we all grew up with it and when Grandpa died we all kept doing it."

Castle smiled at her. "I have a feeling it's about more than just staying awake."

Kate nodded with a laugh. "Everyone plays pranks on each other. It can get pretty crazy sometimes."

"So what pranks have you been the victim of?"

She smiled. "None since I was ten. That year Natalie and Emily sprayed shaving cream in my hair. But since then, I've always stayed awake. And, I'm usually the one playing the pranks."

"What have you done?" He asked.

"The last reunion I was at, my Dad and I carried Miranda in her sleeping bag to the pond and threw her in."

Castle gasped with a laugh. "Oh my God. Your family is awesome."

* * *

Castle sighed as he sat down on his sleeping bag inside the tent. He and Kate had successfully set up their tent and unrolled five sleeping bags. Kate got water bottles, snacks, and flashlights from her bag. Perfect.

Now, they were sitting on the floor of their tent, which was incredibly comfy for a tent, and were waiting to see who they would be spending the night with.

About that time, Conner burst into the tent with a smile. "Katie! I'm in your group!"

Kate laughed. "That's great! Pick your sleeping bag!"

Conner plopped down on the one closest to Kate.

"Who else do we have?" Castle asked.

"Roger and Kayla." Conner said.

Castle and Beckett shared at look. It was going to be a crazy night.

* * *

Kate, Castle, Kayla, and Conner were all sitting in the tent laughing and talking as the waited for Roger. Conner had been yelling and telling jokes, even Kayla, the shy one, was coming out of her shell.

About ten minutes later, the tent flew open and Roger stood in the doorway with a nerf gun in hand. "Hello, _Katherine_."

Castle couldn't help the ridiculous laugh that escaped his mouth. Kate, however, remained calm. "Roger."

Roger took a step inside and turned to zip up the tent. He tossed the nerf gun down and sat across from her. "I've decided to offer a truce for now."

Kate grinned. "That sounds smart. We have to work together if we want to win this thing." She said as she offered her hand out to him.

He hesitantly reached out and shook her hand. "Truce."

"Truce."

Roger pulled his hand back and moved to sit on his sleeping bag that was in-between Kayla and Conner. "So, who is our main target this year?"

"I think we should go after Danny and Emma's tent." Kayla said. "Aaliyah is in there."

"Or we could go after my mommy and daddy." Conner suggested.

Kate smiled. "I've got an idea."

* * *

**This is a short chapter, I know. I know. :P The next one should be a lot more fun and definitely longer. I've got some pranks planned that I think you might like. Hopefully they'll make up for this filler chapter. **


	12. Author's Note

Dear awesome readers,

I'm so sorry for the delay in updates. My laptop is broken so I can't get to the chapters I've already written. I'm trying to rewrite them, but I don't like writing on the desktop in my living room. I'd rather my family not know about fan fiction. I have a notebook app on my phone that I can use, but it's much better for one-shots because they're shorter. I'll try to update when I can but I'd say this is officially on hiatus. Sorry.

-Jordann


	13. Castle!

Precious Things

**Chapter 12**

**AN: WOO! Finally got an update in! Hope you like it! Thanks for being so patient.**

* * *

"No!" Roger said. "That's never going to work!"

Kayla rolled her eyes. "Just give it a cha-"

_"No."_ Roger growled.

Castle, Kate, and Conner watched the two argue about what prank they were going to play on everyone. They had been bickering for at least twenty minutes and Kate was losing it. She loved these kids, she did, but oh my god didn't their parents teach them not to fight?!

"Alright!" She yelled. "We're not pulling any pranks!"

"What?!" The kids and Castle all exclaimed.

She crossed her arms and glared at Kayla and Roger. "Since all we seem to want to do is fight, we won't play any pranks."

Roger glared right back. "But-"

"No buts." She said, using her stern 'cop voice'. Even Roger froze at that. "No pranks."

Kayla, Roger, and Conner all huffed and sat down on their sleeping bags.

"Katie, I didn't fight!" Conner whined.

Kate sighed. "I know, Conner. Do you want to go see if you can join another tent?"

Conner sat there for a moment, as much as he wanted to stay with his newfound best friend, there was no way he was missing out on pranks. He nodded slowly.

Castle helped him out and to Danny and Emma's tent and then returned to find Roger and Kate holding a glaring contest.

"But they'll play pranks on _us_." Roger said.

"We can stay awake, we just won't be playing any."

He sighed. "You know, for a second there I thought you were cool."

Kate rolled her eyes. "I'm heartbroken."

"I still think you're cool." Kayla spoke up.

"Of course you do, kiss ass." Roger muttered.

"Watch your language." Kate said strictly.

Roger rolled his eyes. "Whatever _Katherine_."

* * *

Two hours later, the footsteps and quiet giggling had stopped outside the tent. They pranks must be over. After pouting for a good portion of the time, Kayla and Roger had fallen asleep in their sleeping bags. Castle and Beckett sat up, awake, watching over their tent in case anyone had any funny pranks planned for them.  
Kate's head rested lazily against Castle's shoulder as her eyes began to droop.

Castle chuckled a little. "Tired?"

"Hmm?" She asked sleepily.

He laughed. "Get some sleep, Kate."

"No, no…" She yawned. "Gotta stay awake."

"I've got it. I can stay awake. Get some sleep, you're exhausted."

"You sure?"

He nodded and she laid down next to him, laying her head in his lap. He smiled and ran a gentle hand through her hair and then rubbed her back gently. "Goodnight."

"Night," She muttered sleepily. "Love you"

"I love you too."

Kate was awoken at the sound of a girl screaming and she felt ice cold water land on her. Her eyes snapped open and she saw Alexis, her father, Roger, and Kayla standing over her and Castle with evil smirks on their faces.

Kate couldn't even form words. She was freezing cold and the water soaked through her white t-shirt _smart move, Kate_ and clung to her body.  
She was at a loss for words.

How had they pranked them?

Castle was supposed-

"Castle!"

Castle wiped the water from his eyes and gave her an apologetic look. His eyes wandered down to her chest _how typical_ and he started laughing. She glared at him and then the tent shook with laughter.

"Alright guys, let's let Katie and Rick here get all dried and then they can come get some breakfast."

They all laughed again and turned to leave. Roger threw Kate a look over his shoulder and stuck his tongue at her.

She glared at him, but something told her that she wasn't very intimidating with her wet stringy hair and her see through shirt. "Brat." She muttered.

Castle laughed out loud. Oh, his girlfriend was such a dork.

* * *

Kate, now with dry hair that hung in those natural loose spirals that she hated but Castle loved so much, and one of Nana's extra t-shirts that was probably safe to assume was older than Kate (Not to mention the fact that it was covered in kittens), was now laughing with Mark and Natalie. They sat on the ground under a tree, watching the kids play with their nerf guns.

Castle watched her with a small smile on his face. She looked so carefree and just so happy. She watched her little cousins with such love in her eyes. She was going to be such an amazing mother one day. He could see her braiding a little green eyed girl's hair or reading a bedtime story to a hyper little boy. Maybe by the time the next family reunion rolled around…

Woah, slow down. He thought. You haven't even proposed yet.

She hasn't said yes.

Would she say yes?

She said she loved him. And he believed her. They loved each other. He couldn't picture his life without her. Well…yeah, he could. He'd still be the jackass he was.

What would she be? Would she still be wrapped up in her Mom's murder? He brought it up again but it was bound to show up again anyway…

He liked to think that he's been as good for her as she has been for him. So many people say he is…but she's Kate. It's hard to imagine her not okay and strong.

Well…just a week ago he wouldn't have ever been able to picture her sitting on the ground in Texas wearing a kitten sweatshirt.

Just about then, her eyes caught his and they shared a smile. As stupid and girly as it sounded, his heart fluttered when she looked like him like that. Those looks that they used to share but one of them always had to pull away. Not anymore. They didn't have to worry about that anymore. Always was now.

Castle's thoughts were interrupted when he felt a boney hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Nana standing with her walker. "Come for a walk with me, darlin'."

* * *

**Updates will still be pretty infrequent; my laptop is still broken. :P **

**Review?**


	14. I Want to Show You Something

**Precious Things**

**Chapter Thirteen**

**AN: Woah, thanks for all the reviews! :D (Oh, and incase any confusion comes up, there's the kid Roger and then Roger who is Nana's deceased husband).**

* * *

Castle took Nana's arm and they started walking around the farm. She was quiet and he looked around the land again. He could still see the kids running around even as they walked farther away.

Nana walked slowly, even slower since she didn't have her walker, but Castle didn't mind. His mind was took busy wandering and looking out into the fields, watching birds come and go. Or watching a squirrel scurry quickly up a tree. Yeah, this place definitely wasn't New York.

"You like New York, Rick?" Nana's heavy southern accented voice asked, breaking the silence.

He nodded. "Yeah, it's great."

"I haven't been there since Katie was just a little girl. Must've been '81 or somethin'." Castle was quiet and then Nana went on. "Katie used to love it out here."

"She did?" He asked, always interested in young Kate.

"Oh, yeah. She'd run her skinny little legs off out here. Chasin' fireflies or playin' games with Natalie and Emily." Castle laughed. "She was a feisty little thing too."

Castle smiled at that. God, he was so curious about young Kate. Did they have any videos? Maybe some embarrassing photos he could tease her about? He smiled to himself and then reminded himself that he was in the middle of a conversation. "Still is. Minus the little part."

Nana smiled and patted his arm gently. "She's a sweet girl. I'm glad she's movin' past Johanna's death. Took us all a long time too." Castle was quiet. "The whole family took it hard. Jim met Johanna when he was young. She quickly became one of us, even before they were dating. She and him did the same thing you and Katie did for years."

Castle smiled and so did Nana. There was a long comfortable silence before Nana spoke again, softer this time. "You love Katie, don't you?"

"Yes." He answered immediately. "I do."

"Good." Nana answered without hesitation. "She loves you too."

Castle didn't even have time to stop himself when the words tumbled out of his mouth. "I…I want to propose."

She looked at him, her green eyes piercing. "You do?"

He nods and then she's quiet. She doesn't say anything, she just stares ahead as they walk. And, God, it's killing him. _Breathe, Rick. _What if she doesn't approve…oh God…

"Oh, calm down, Rick." She laughed a little.

He smiled and sighed in relief.

"You got a ring yet?"

He shook his head. "No, I'll look for one once we get back to the city."

Nana nodded.

A tap on Nana's shoulder brought them from their conversation. They turned to see Mark and Kate behind them. Kate smiled at him and he had to fight back a laugh. The kitten sweater was still funny. She rolled her eyes at him as if reading his mind.

"Natalie needs your help with something, Nana."

Nana smiled at Rick and patted his arm again before taking Marks so he could walk her back to the house. Once they were gone, Kate took Castle's hand and continued the walk.

"How much did you hear?" Castle asked.

"None of it." She said. "Why? Were you and Nana gossiping about me, Castle?"

Castle smiled down at the smirk that resided on her face. "Oh yeah, definitely."

She grinned. "So, how was Nana/Castle bonding time?"

"It was good." He said with a small laugh.

"Good" She said. She wouldn't tell him this, but that meant so much to her.

They fall into a silence and he hears her sigh happily. "I've missed this place. I used to have so much fun here as a kid."

"Nana told me."

"When I was about ten or so, I thought I'd move here when I grew up."

Castle listened, absorbing all the information, just as she always did when she shared things with him. She loved this about him. He made it seem like every single things she said was important. A stupid little childhood quirk she once had that she finds embarrassing would mean the world to him.

She loved that.

She felt…important.

"When Maddie and I would talk about stuff like marriage and kids, because you know, I was kind of a teenage girl," She smiled a little to herself. "this is always where I said I wanted to be."

He smiled, thinking about fourteen year old Kate sitting in her childhood room, talking to her best friend about getting married and having kids. A week ago, that may have been hard to picture. But now? It wasn't so difficult.

"But then after Mom was killed…I couldn't leave Dad like he was. And, I couldn't have worked Mom's case from Texas. I needed, I belonged in New York."

She looked around. She couldn't imagine living here now. A homicide detective in a small Texas town? Yeah, that would've worked out well. And, would she have met Castle? He would say that it would've been fate. They would've met somehow.

She looked up at him. He had a small smile on his face as he looked around. She followed his gaze that led to the pond and then the large patch of weeds that grew near by. She could read his face so easily. She could see the confusion; the wheels turning. _What's behind there_? She could almost hear him asking.

Or maybe she's just using that as an excuse to take him back there.

She gripped his hand tighter and walked ahead of him, pulling him with her. "Come on, Castle. I want to show you something.

* * *

**This one's kind of short. But, the next one should be up soon. (:**

**Oh, and thanks to Ellie (rainbow-dango) for the help. Also, you should really go read her fic Into the Dark. It made me cry, and I NEVER cry. Nothing like crying in bed at 3 a.m.**


	15. Clubhouse

**Precious Things**

**Chapter 14**

**AN: This is probably my favorite chapter of this story. (:**

* * *

They walk past the pond, crossed over the spit where Castle told Jim he wanted to marry his daughter. She led him to the patch of weeds that had captured his attention moments ago.

She gripped his hand and pulled him along. She stopped when they reached the weeds.

"Weeds?"

She smiled and pushed some aside and stepped through the mini forest. She gestured for him to follow her.

Of course, he did.

He'd always follow her.

He stepped through the weeds and refrained from complaining about the itch on his ankles in the process.

Once they made it through, he grinned a little. In front of him was a tree. The tree was hone to a really awesome looking clubhouse. It looked about five feet tall, complete with a roof and a little porch.

"A clubhouse?"

"Yeah." She breathed. "Paw-Paw helped Emily, Nat, and I build it one summer."

Castle, ever the nine year old on a sugar rush, started for the clubhouse. He started up the ladder before she could stop him.

"Castle...be careful...it's like 30 years old."

"It's fine." He said, crouching down to walk through the small door.

She hesitated before deciding to follow. She tested her weight on the ladder and then followed him up.

She passed through the door for the first time in almost 20 years. It still looked the same. There were still pictures stapled to the walls. The table Paw-Paw built still sat in the center with little dolls surrounding it.

She bent down to pick up one of the dolls. It had long red hair although chunks were missing. The bright blue eyes were frightening since one of them seemed to have been colored in with a green marker. She had scuff marks on her face. The once pink clothes were now faded and ripped.

She smiled and brushed hair from the monster baby's face.

She heard Castle coming up behind her. "This one was mine." She could almost hear his smile. "Ugly little thing, isn't she?"

"No, Kate...she's just...unique."

She laughed loudly and turned to look at him. He was smiling brightly at her. She sat the doll down on the table and then followed his gaze to a hand drawn picture, stapled to the wall.

"I made that one. It's me, Nat, Emily, and Paw-Paw."

He leaned into look at the photo closely, burning it into his memory.

She watched him for moment and then turned to walk onto the small porch. She sat down and let her legs dangle over the edge.

It was only a few seconds before he was at her side.

A gentle breeze blew through their hair as they looked around. From where they were sitting, they could still see the kids playing with their nerf guns. They could faintly hear their laughter.

"One time, Natalie, Emily and I didn't want to leave Paw-Paw and Nana's when summer was over, so right before our parents came, we came out here and hid."

Castle smiled.

"We stayed until dark and then Emily got really scared so we went back. Nana knew where we were, but our parents were freaking out."

He laughed a little, picturing Jim freaking out over a little version of Kate as Nana laughed.

She laid her head on his shoulder and sighed. "We had a lot of fun out here."

Her wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her to him.

She took a deep breath. "When Paw-Paw died, after the funeral Natalie, Emily, and I came out here. It was late...we were still in our funeral clothes. We hadn't been out here in a few years because we were teenagers by then...but we sat in the clubhouse and talked about him." Castle was quiet, listening. "We stayed in here all night and Natalie and Emily left sometime the next morning. I stayed though. I couldn't bring myself to leave."

"Sounds like you." He said softly, against her hair.

She smiled a little and cuddled into his embrace, surprising him a little. She moved to rest her head on his chest. "I didn't eat breakfast or lunch the next day. I stayed there almost all day."

A kiss to her hair told her to continue.

"My Mom climbed up here and sat across from me at the little table that I had helped Papa build. She told me that it was okay to be sad and even to cry. That...that death is natural." His arms tighten around her and she went on. "Paw-Paw wasn't that old. That was my problem. He had survived the war...he...he was one of the strongest people I knew and for something like a heart attack to just take him in his sleep…" Her voice broke a little on the last word.

He moved his arm to rub her back a little, to comfort her. He knew he couldn't take her pain away, God knows he would in a heartbeat. He hoped this was enough.

"I wouldn't leave the clubhouse. I just sat there. I wouldn't respond to her. I wouldn't look at her. Until she reached across the table and took my hand. She said quietly "Katie, staying up here isn't going to bring him back." And then I cried. For the first time since Nana had called my Dad and he told me."

"I'm so sorry, Kate." What else could he say?

They sat in silence, let the sounds of childish voice and wind blowing through the weeds overcome them.

She reached up to wipe a tear quickly. "Remember when I told you that you reminded me of my Grandfather?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"You do. A lot, actually."

He continued to rub her back, soothing and comforting circles.

"He was just like you. Such a big kid. He'd do anything any of us kids asked. Play any ridiculous games we wanted." She smiled to herself. "When it would rain and we couldn't go outside and play, he would sit us down in the living room, Nana would make popcorn, and we'd watch Paw-Paw's magic show."

She thought back on those magic shows for a moment. They blew her mind. Her Paw-Paw was always so excited to show them new tricks. He lived off of their laughter and excitement.

"He would've loved you, Castle." She pulled back to look up at him.

He was smiling down at her softly, that gentle, loving look in his eyes that was reserved only for her. She leaned up a little and captured his lips in a soft, gentle kiss.

He kissed her back and held her close until she pulled away and smiled at him, her green eyes shining. "I love you."

The words tumbled from his mouth. He couldn't stop himself, not like this. Not with her looking at him like that. "Marry me."

Her smile faded and her breath caught. "What?"

"I mean . . . I . . . forget I said anything . . ."

She quickly shook her head and scooted closer. "No, wait. You…you want me to marry you?"

It was quieter this time, but with no doubt. "Yes."

A smile bloomed on her face again, a bright one. Maybe the biggest smile he's ever seen on her. Beautiful. "I'd love to marry you, Castle."

He didn't say anything, he pulled her to him and kissed her hard. She smiled and kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He pulled back a little, their lips still touching. "I don't have a ring yet."

"Don't care…just get me one when we get back to the city."

He places another gentle, closed mouth kiss to her lips before pulling away. Their eyes locked and they shared a look. One of those looks that left butterflies in each other their stomachs, no matter how long they'd been together.

After a few moments, she took his hand and spoke softly. "Come on, we better head back before they all come looking for us." She paused to look down at Nana's kitten shirt. "And hopefully my clothes are dry. This kitten sweater isn't really me."

He smiled at her.

"Or, what do you think, Castle? Think I can work the kitten sweatshirt?" She joked, standing up.

He stood up too. "Oh, definitely. You can work anything, my dear detective."

She laughed. "I don't think many criminals would take me serious in a kitten sweatshirt."

"They would if you had your gun."

She smiled and shook his head. "Come on, Castle."

* * *

**Alright guys, I gave you a proposal? Give me a review and tell me what you think? (:**


	16. Love

**Precious Things**

**Chapter 15**

**AN: I'm so so so so so sorry this has been so long. This chapter isn't rated M but it kind of teeters on the edge between T and M.**

* * *

"Peter's here!" All of the little kids shouted and ran past Castle and Beckett as they ran quickly to the front of Nana's house.

Castle squeezed Kate's hand in his a little. "Who is Peter?"

"My little cousin. Well, he's not really little anymore. Seventeen now."

Castle nodded and pulled her against his side, wrapping an arm around her. Normally, PDA like this wouldn't be allowed. She looked up at him and smiled that bright, dazzling smile that never ceased to make his stomach flutter. God, she's gorgeous.

His fiancée is gorgeous.

Holy crap. Kate Beckett is his fiancée.

"What?" She asked, still flashing that smile. He must've been smiling like an idiot. She looked pretty amused.

"We're going to get married."

She laughed a little, sounding dangerously close to a giggle. "Way to catch up, Castle."

He smiled at her. She smiled back, holding his gaze until Nana's voice broke their little spell. "Think you two lovebirds can take a minute to say hi to Peter?"

They both looked away from each other, blushing a little. Nana hand her hand on Peter's shoulder. He was tall, almost as tall as Castle. He was built strong, tough. His hair was longish and dirty blonde, he sported those Beckett eyes.

"Hi, Katie." He said with an almost shy smile accompanied by a deep voice.

Kate dropped Castle's hand and stared at the boy for a minute with a smile. "Peter, oh my god." She laughed a little and hugged her. Peter hugged her back gently and smiled at her when she pulled back. "Look at you. Oh my-" A side glance from Nana made her pause a little. "_Gosh_." Nana smirked and walked away.

Peter laughed a little and even blushed. "Yeah, I got a little taller."

"Geez, Peter. Have you been working out?" She smiled at the way he blushed. Still shy.

"Yeah, I'm on the football team."

"Wow. That's great." She smiled up at him.

Peter cleared his throat a little. "What about you? How are you?"

Kate looked at Castle for a second and then smiled. "I'm great."

Peter smiled a little and looked over at Castle. "Who is this?"

"Oh, Peter, this is my…boyfriend, Richard Castle." She didn't know when they were going to tell anyone. Maybe before they left…yeah, before they leave. She wondered how they would react. They'd all be so excited. Especially the little kids and Nana. Her Dad would be thrilled.

By the time she was out of her little daydream, Peter was walking away, texting someone on his phone, only to have Nana pull it from his hands, telling him that Scott could wait.

"Who is Scott?" Castle asked.

"What? Oh." She shook her head, getting out of the daydream. "He's Peter's boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" He said, looking at the boy who was being bombarded by kids. "He's gay?"

Kate nodded.

"Everyone is okay with it?" Castle asked.

Kate nodded again. "Why? You aren't?"

"No…no, love is love, right?"

Kate smiled a little and took his hand. "Come on, Castle."

* * *

_Is it possible to be that sexy while eating ice cream?_

When you're Kate Beckett it is. She sucked some ice cream from her finger and he couldn't look away. She must have felt his stare because she looked up and gave him her most seductive smirk.

Tease.

He tore his gaze away, as much as it pained it, and looked back down at his ice cream.

She smiled and ran her foot up his leg under the table. He jumped a little and glared at her. She just smiled innocently and licked at her ice cream. He looked away again, and her foot set out to continue it's path.

When her foot slipped under his shorts and rubbed his thigh, he almost broke his ice cream cone. She laughed a little and turned her head to answer someone's question. He didn't know who. He couldn't focus on anyone but her, which was why this problem began in the first place.

Her foot continued it's journey until it got to the zipper of his shorts. He squirmed in his seat as her foot rubbed at his obvious arousal. He shivered.

"Cold, Castle?" She asked, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

He glared again and grabbed her foot. He sat it knocked it off of his lap and onto the ground. She didn't touch him again, for which he was thankful. He didn't need any of that in front of her family.

She settled into a conversation with Natalie and he stole another look at her. Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, she did it when the wind picked up. Her kitten sweatshirt was replaced by her white shirt. Her make up was gone and she looked exhausted.

She was beautiful.

And sexy as hell.

And a tease.

They sat there for a few more minutes until they shared a steamy glance and then she cleared her throat. "Castle and I are going to head back to the hotel. We're kind of tired."

The family all said their goodbyes and see you tomorrows and then Castle and Beckett quickly made their way to the car, leaving her family to share knowing looks.

* * *

He was on her the minutes they were inside the door, pressing her against the door and capturing her mouth in a searing kiss.

She kissed him back roughly and pulled at the hem of his t-shirt. They broke the kiss for a second for him to pull it off and then the kiss was back. Kate ran her hands down his chest as he fumbled with the few buttons on her white shirt. After a few seconds, frustration took over and he just ripped it open; the buttons skidded across the floor.

"Hey, that's…one of…my favorites." She panted against his mouth.

"That's…what you get for teasing me." He said, out of breath himself.

She pressed her lips to his again and wrapped her legs around his waist, grinding down against him. He groaned a little and carried her over to the bed, laying her down.

The rest of their clothes were discarded and within minutes he was hovering over her, kissing her lovingly.

She smiled up at him. "I love you." She said softly.

"I love you, too."

They made love until sleep eventually took over leaving them asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

**What did you think? (:**

**P.S. I realize gay rights and everything is kind of a controversial topic for a fanfic, but it's my fic and I don't think there's anything wrong with it. If you do, I can respect your opinion…just don't review hate, okay?**


	17. I'll Always Come Back

**Precious Things**

**Chapter 16**

**AN: Thanks for the reviews! This story is almost over. Just a few more chapters!**

* * *

"I'll go get dinner." Castle said, slipping some clothes on.

After they're activities of the afternoon and a few hours of sleep, they both woke up incredibly hungry.

"Chinese?" She asked, hopefully.

He nodded and slipped his phone and wallet into his pocket. "Yeah."

She smiled. "There's a great place about two blocks away…"

Castle nodded again. "I'll find it." He leaned down and kissed her mouth gently. "I'll be back in a little bit."

She nodded and watched him leave. Once he left, she laid back down and snuggled into the pillow, falling back to sleep.

* * *

Castle walked the streets of the little town until he found the small shop he was looking for. He smiled and pulled the door open.

The man behind the counter smiled warmly. "Mr. Castle?"

Castle nodded. "Yeah, thanks for staying open for me."

"It was no problem. Now, what can I help you with?"

Castle took a deep breath and smiled. "I need a ring for my fiancée."

* * *

Kate stretched and yawned, her back cracking as she did. She looked around the room; Castle still wasn't back. She picked up her phone and checked the time. He'd been gone almost an hour. The Chinese place was only a few minutes away. Her heart started beating a little faster in her chest and she quickly dialed his number.

When you're a homicide detective, it's hard not to expect the worse. It dialed a few times, she held her breath the whole time.

* * *

His phone vibrated on the glass case, bringing his attention away from the rings he was standing over. He reached for it and checked the caller ID. "It's her." He said to the jeweler. He waited a second before answering. "Hello?"

"Castle?" She asked, sounding just a little frantic.  
"Yeah? Is everything okay?" He asked, looking away from the rings. The tone of her voice making him a little nervous.

There was a small pause. "Yeah…yeah, what's taking so long?"

"It's crowded here." He lied, watching Tom disappear to the back with the rings.

"Oh. You can just go somewhere else if you want." She suggested.

"No, it's okay," He said, looking at a new group of rings Tom, the jeweler brought out. "I already paid."

"Okay…see you in a little bit then."

"Yeah. Love you." He said quickly.

"Love you, too."

He hung up and set his phone aside. He picked up one of the rings and studied it. Too big and flashy. Kate wouldn't go for that. Everything was either too big and showy or too small. He felt like Goldilocks.

"What about this one?" Tom asked, holding up a ring with a huge diamond on it.

Castle shook his head. "Kate won't want something so flashy. It has to be perfect. Not too crazy, but big enough…beautiful enough for her."

Tom nodded and pulled a few more rings out.

"That one!" Castle exclaimed. "That one. It's perfect." He said, smiling.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Castle walked into the hotel room to find his fiancée pacing the floor in his Star Wars t-shirt. She smiled when she saw him.

"Hey." She said, taking the bags and sitting them on the table. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming back."

"I'll always come back." He said, walking past her like he doesn't even know how much that means to her.

* * *

The next few days of the reunion passed happily and quickly. Alexis was loved and adored, as well as Castle. The family loved Kate's new little family and she couldn't be happier. Their approval meant more than she'd ever admit, especially Nana.

They'd all had brunch on Nana's farm and then just lounged around together. Whether playing with the kids or fishing or sitting and talking with the cousins, they all found a way to keep busy and relaxed.

The day after that, they took the kids to a local park and had a cookout there. They played with the kids all day.

They just couldn't find the right time to tell everyone. They needed to. They wanted too. But every time they thought to, they were distracted or they chickened out.

* * *

The next day, they found themselves back at Nana's farm, taking a walk.

Kate squeezed his hand gently. "We need to tell them."

"I know, but they're all busy."

Kate nodded and looked around Nana's farm as kids ran around, adults stood and talked, and then others fished. Geez, they were making this so difficult.

"We can do it at dinner." Castle said. "They'll all be together then."

Kate nodded a little. "Good idea."

They watched her family again, each consumed by their own thoughts. What would they think? They all loved Castle…but that's Castle the boyfriend. Not Castle the husband. It could be completely different. What if they treated them like they treated Mark?

That won't happen. He hoped. They liked him. He didn't need to worry, right? Right. Right.

He hoped he was right.

"Don't worry. It'll be okay." They both said at the same time, looking at each other. She smiled a little and tugged his hand, pulling him farther along on their walk.

* * *

**I know this was short, but the next one will be longer. I promise.**


	18. Tonight

**Precious Things**

**Chapter 17**

**AN: Thanks for the reviews! Three updates in a week! *pats self on the back***

* * *

The week had down by and the reunion was almost over. It was the last night. The formal dinner. This was the last chance they had to tell her family. Castle took a chance as he smoothed down his shirt.

"Kate, where's my tie?" He asked, yelling so that she could hear him in the bathroom.

"The bottom of your suitcase." She replied, walking out of the bathroom.

His breath hitched a little at the sight of her. She was wearing an emerald green dress that went down to about her knee and fit in all the right ways, it had a nice neckline, but covered her scar. He knew she was self conscious about it. Her hair was down and in curls down her back.

"Wow." He breathed.

She blushed a little, Kate Beckett _blushed_, and then smiled. "Thanks, Castle." She said quietly, grabbing his tie from his suitcase and then handing it to him. "You look good too."

He smiled and watched her step into her heels, suddenly as tall as him. He loved the heels but he liked the height difference too. He liked being able to pull her to him and have her head on his chest or to be able to rest his chin on her head. But, her legs looked awesome in those shoes.

"So," Kate said, bringing him from his thoughts. "I was thinking we could tell them after dessert." She looked at him as he tied his tie, her bottom lip in her teeth, nervous.

"Sounds good." He said, hoping he didn't sound as nervous as she looked. Because, that definitely wasn't how it was going to happen. If all went as planned, he'd stand up before dinner and propose then. The right way. The way he was supposed to, telling her everything that he wanted to tell her. The ring was heavy in his pocket as he thought through the plan. "They won't be expecting a thing." He added.

She smiled. "No, they won't."

She watched him tie his tie and sighed when it was incredibly crooked. She stepped closer and took it from him. "Was this just a ploy to get me to tie your tie for you?" She asked, smirking up at him.

"Never." He said, sounding surprised that she'd accuse him of such a thing.

She looked back down at the now perfect tie and patted his chest before kissing his lips gently. "Come on. Don't want to be late."

He nodded. She grabbed her purse and took his hand.

* * *

They pulled up the same building as the first night. They were both just as nervous as they had been that day, maybe even more.

They looked at each other for a second before nodding a little and deciding it was time. They took deep breathes and then pushed the car doors open. They met by the end of the car and walked and in hand through the doors.

The room was already buzzing with activity. Kids were running around in their little dresses and suits, clearly missing their regular clothes.

Roger walked by them first, squirming around in his suit.

"Roger," Kate said, getting the boy's attention.

He turned to look at her, itching at his neck. "Hey, Katie."

She smiled. "I like your suit."

He grimaced. "I don't. Why do we have to be so dressed up anyway?"

"Nana likes it. I don't know." Kate shrugged. She hated it too when she was his age. "But you look handsome."

"Thanks." He blushed. "You look pretty, I guess." He muttered and ran away.

Kate smiled and watched him run off. She looked over at Castle. "He's quite the charmer, isn't he?" Castle laughed a little.

They started to make their way to a table when the sound of small little high heels approaching interrupted. They turned to see Kayla, Sara, and Aaliyah running toward them.

"Katie! Rick!" Aaliyah said, smiling. The other two were standing next to her smiling. They looked adorable in their little sundresses.

They smiled at the girls. "Don't you girls look beautiful." Castle said, making the young girls blush.

He smiled at Kate and then left to go get a seat. Kate looked at the girls. "He's right. You all look great. Very grown up." She said, smiling. "Even high heels."

"Our moms wouldn't let us wear make up." Sara said in an annoyed tone.

Kate crouched down a little so that she was a tall as the girls. "My Mom wouldn't let me wear make up when I was your age either. But, just think, the next reunion you'll be seventeen and plenty old enough.

The girls smiled and nodded a little. They stood there for a few minutes, talking girl stuff like hair or make up. They loved Kate. They really did. They looked up to her.

"Maybe this summer you girls can come visit me in New York." She said.

They all smiled excitedly. "Really?!"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'll give your parents a call, okay? We'll set it up." They hugged her and then smiled and ran off, incredibly excited.

She watched them go and started to stand when she felt a slight tug on her dress. She looked down and saw Connor looking up at her with a smile.

"Hi, buddy."

"Hi!" He said excitedly.

Kate smiled and picked him up. "You look nice and handsome in your suit, little man." She said, kissing his temple.

He smiled brighter and hugged Kate around the neck.

* * *

Castle watched him from across the room where he'd saved some seats for them. She was so great with kids. She was just great in general. He couldn't believe that the next time her whole family was together like this, they would be married.

Maybe they would give these kids some more cousins.

He smiled stupidly at the thought.

"Hey there, Rick." Nana said, smiling at him as she sat down in the chair across from the one reserved for Kate. "You sure clean up nice."

He smiled. "So do you, Nana. Kate's good looks must run in the family."

She rolled her eyes a little. "Must run in yours too. Your little Alexis is quite the beauty." She said, nodding toward Alexis who was chatting with Peter at the other side of the room.

He nodded a little. "Yeah, she is." He watched Alexis interact with Kate's family so easily for a moment, his heart fluttering, and then looked back at Nana.

"So, Rick, you think we'll see you guys next time?" She asked.

He nodded again. "Yeah, I think so."

Nana smiled that warm smile that grandmothers seemed to possess and then nodded. "I think so too."

Castle looked back at Kate and his heart started beating a little fast. Dinner in ten minutes. The ring suddenly weighed so much more.

* * *

**What did you guys think?**

**Also, I have a fic called 'Four-Legged Adventures', It'd be awesome if you guys could check it out. (:**

**(Nothing wrong with a little advertising.) (: **


	19. Always

**Precious Things**  
** Chapter 18**  
**AN: Last chapter before the epilogue!**

Smiles.

Laughs.

Kids playing in their food.

Deep breaths, Rick. She already said yes.

He chickened out too much to ask before dinner was served, so now he sat awkwardly and nervous, too preoccupied to eat.

He looked around the room and down the table. The whole family was laughing and having a great time. He took a glance at Kate. She was helping Connor cut up his pasta.

Now.

He had to do it now.

He reached into his pocket for the tenth time to make sure the ring was still there.

He slowly stood on shakey legs. No one noticed.

He cleared his throat. "Uh, can I have everyone's attention?"

The room immediately fell silent and he could almost hear his heart beating in his chest. Kate looked up at him, confused and a little panicky. She started to stand too.  
He put a gently hand on her shoulder and smiled a little, shaking his head.  
Now she was really confused.

"I want to thank you all for welcoming Alexis and I the way that you have. It's been great meeting all of you."

They all smiled at him. He took a little breath and continued.

"When I first met Kate, I never would've expected her and I to be where we are today. I was this…obnoxious, careless jerk and she…well, I'm pretty sure that she wanted to shoot me."

That earned a chuckle from her family.

"We've grown so much in the last five years, as people, we've changed. We've changed each other in so many amazing ways. I don't know where I'd be without her."

They were all smiling at him, but his eyes only caught Kate's. She was smiling that dazzling, loving smile that was reserved only for him, that smile that always managed to make his knees weak.

"And I don't want to ever be without her. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I want to be by her side."

"Partners." She whispered to him, smiling up from her seat.

"Partners." He nodded. "For always."

Her family looked on with silly, knowing smiles.

He dropped to his knee in front of her, causing her family to gasp a little and smile even more. "So, Katherine Houghton Beckett, will you do me the honor of being my wife?" He pulled the ring from his pocket and opened the little box. The diamond twinkled in the evening light.

Kate gasped a little. She looked at the ring and then back at him. "Yes. I mean, I already- yes!" She smiled a little and laughed. "Yes, Castle."

He chuckled a little and shakily slipped the ring onto her finger. The perfect fit. She looked down at the ring for a second before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and help her close, kissing her back.

Her family erupted in applause, the adults clapping and the little girls smiling. Roger and his little clan looked on in disgust. Ew, kissing.

Kate pulled back and laid her forehead against him, looking into his eyes. He smiled brightly at her. She kissed him again, quick and sweet, pulling back soon after. "I thought you didn't have a ring."

"Surprise." He said, rubbing her waist with his thumbs.

She smiled again, brightly. "I love you."

"I love you, too"

They pulled apart and were almost immediately surrounded by her family, offering congratulations and warm embraces. Nana pushed her was through all of them and made it to Kate. Kate smiled down at her grandmother.

"Come down here and give me a hug." Nana said, looking up at her granddaughter who was towering over her in her heels. Kate leaned down and hugged her tightly. "I'm so happy for you, Katie." Nana whispered.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"Your Mom would be proud."

She held onto her Nana a little tighter. "You think so?" She whispered, her voice wavering just a little.

Nana pulled back and cupped her granddaughter's cheeks, her thumbs caressing her cheekbones. She looked into her green eyes that were so much like her own. She remembered the same eyes on the little girl with a sticky face and dirty feet whose only experience of grief and loss was when were pet goldfish died, the lost, scared nineteen year old held those eyes too. Nana wanted nothing more than to be able to wipe the hurt and loss from her eyes, to see the same brightness they used to hold. Now, they were bright again. They were happy. She was finally happy again. "I know so, baby girl."

"I love you, Nana." Kate whispered.

* * *

The family settled back into excited chatter after a while, Castle and Beckett were walking around and talking to whomever started up a conversation.

Roger walked past them and Kate smiled, reaching forward and grabbing the boy, hugging from behind. "Hey brat, you didn't congratulate us." She teased.

He wiggled free from her arms and rolled his eyes in mock annoyance. "Congrats."

"So sincere." She said sarcastically, leaning forward to kiss his cheek.

"Ew!" He yelled, wiping the lipstick away with his sleeve. "Not cool, Katherine _Houghton_."

She rolled her eyes at him.

"What kind of name is Houghton, anyway?" He said, smiling smugly.

"Shut up."

* * *

"Bye, Nana. I'll call you when we set a date. I promise." Kate said, kissing her grandmother's cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Katie." She smiled. Kate made her way around to other cousins leaving Castle to tell Nana goodbye.

"Bye, Nana. It was great to meet you." Castle hugged her gently and then pulled away.

She smiled up at him. "You take care of my Katie, you hear?"

He nodded. "I will."

"I know you will. You're good for her, Rick. Thank you."

"Don't thank me. She's good for me too."

Nana smiled and nodded. She kissed his cheek and welcomed him into her family.

* * *

Kate yawned and kicked her shoes off by the door. "Plane rides always make me exhausted."

He nodded, carrying their bag through the door of the loft. He sat them by the closet door. They could unpack in the morning. He just wanted to crawl into their bed and sleep for hours. Between the plane ride and then dropping Alexis off at her dorm, he was about to pass out.

"We need to unpack." She said, reaching for the bag.

"No." He said, grabbing her gently around the waist. "We need to go sleep."

She started to protest but was interrupted by a yawn. She nodded and let him lead them into his- their bedroom.

He stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed. She smiled and pulled all of her clothes off to slip into one of his old t-shirts, making him smile. It was always and odd sort of pride when she wore something of his.

She smiled and crawled into bed, getting comfy under the blanket and then scooting close to him, laying on her side and looking into his eyes.

"Hey." He said with a grin.

She smiled. "Hey."

"You look absolutely exhausted."

"I am." She said.

"Let's get some sleep." He was exhausted and as much as he loved staring at Kate Beckett, he was about to drift asleep at any second.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling her body flush against his. "They all love you."

"I love them too." He smiled, rubbing her back.

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, so happy. "We'll be married by the next reunion."

He nodded and smiled too. "We will."

She kissed him then. Her tongue seeking entrance that he willingly gave. She kissed him roughly and passionately, moaning into the kiss.

He rolled her over onto her back and hovered over her, smiling down.

Their nap could wait.

* * *

**I'm so sorry that this took so long. I had some exams and personal things, it's just been a crazy month. I hope you liked this. (:**


	20. Epilogue

**Precious Things**

**Epilogue**

**AN: Here ya go! :)**

* * *

_**Five Years Later**_

* * *

"Mommy?" Came a small voice from the backseat.

Kate twisted the best she could in the seat with her very obvious, almost ready-to-pop, baby bump and looked at her son. His short, unruly, dark hair was sticking up in all directions. His chubby little cheeks were sticky and covered in peanut butter from his lunch. She couldn't be upset though, because those bright blue eyes were staring at her happily.

"Yeah, baby?" She asked with a smile, reaching back to tickle his little foot.

"Where going?" He asked for the tenth time in the last hour.

"To see our family." She answered.

"Almost there?" He asked hopefully.

She smiled a little. "Yeah, Grayson. Just about ten more minutes."

The boy nodded and looked back down to his little toy cars that had managed to keep him slightly entertained. She turned back in her seat. She watched the road for a few seconds before she felt a little kick. She jumped slightly, placing her hands on her stomach.

"Are they kicking?" Castle asked, smiling at her.

Kate nodded with a smile. "The haven't kicked all day, not even on the plane. I was getting a little worried about them."

"That's unlike them, isn't it?" He said, turning onto the little country road.

She nodded again, smiling brightly and rubbing her belly. One month. One month and they'd have their babies and their little family would be complete.

"What do think they'll say?" Castle asked.

Most of the family hadn't met Grayson, only Natalie and Mark flew out to New York when he was born. Kate was eager for him to meet Nana, she knew he would love her, just as Nana would adore him. The whole family would. God, he'd be so spoiled by the end of the week. She grinned happily just thinking about it.

They hadn't told anyone but her Dad that she was pregnant again. She had no idea how they would react when she walked in 8 months pregnant.

"I don't know." She said, grinning and looking at him. "But I'm excited."

"Me too."

She smiled and laid her head back, rubbing her belly absentmindedly.

"Cows!" Grayson shrieked excitedly, pointing out his window at some cows grazing.

Kate smiled and looked at him through the rear-view window. "What does a cow say, Grayson?"

Grayson smiled brightly. "Moo!" He shouted confidently.

Kate smiled too. Her three year old was so smart. "That's right, baby."

The boy smiled happily, proud of himself, and strained to watch the cows as the car passed them.

Castle turned the car and they drove down the long driveway . The little pebbles from the dirt road hit the car with small clanks and dust flew behind them. Kate's stomach fluttered a little as they pulled into park and saw all of the cars.

The building looked the same as it did five years ago when Kate and Castle were there last.

He parked the car and looked over at Kate. "Ready?"

She nodded excitedly. "Yeah."

He smiled and pushed his door open and made his way to hers, he opened it and helped her out of the car. She smiled in thanks and opened Grayson's door. She pulled it open and he smiled brightly at her.

She smiled and used her sleeve to wipe at his face. "Dirty boy."

He giggled a little and reached for her. She unbuckled his seat and lifted him into her arms. He smiled and cuddled against her, ignoring her belly.

Kate smiled and rubbed his back. Sweet boy.

She shut the door and turned to Castle who held Grayson's bag in his arms. "Need me to take him?"

She shook her head and held him closer. "No, I've got him."

Castle nodded and they made their way to the door, Castle with a hand on the small of Kate's back.

She held her breath as Castle pulled the door open and they walked inside. They only made it a few steps inside when the room fell silent and everyone gasped.  
Kate smiled and looked up at Castle. He smiled back at her.

The silence was quickly over and the room was loud with excitement. The all made their way over quickly, forming almost a circle around them. Grayson looked around at them with wide eyes.

They all asked questions and fussed over Grayson until Nana pushed through.

Kate smiled brightly. "Nana!"

Nana smiled too, eyes shinning. "Katie, who is this?"

"Your great-grandson." She beamed, rubbing the boy's back. "Grayson Alexander Castle."

Nana put a hand on his back and rubbed it gently. He turned his head from where he'd buried it in Kate's neck seconds before, and looked at her curiously.

"Hi, handsome." Nana said, her accent evident.

Grayson smiled a small, shy smile. "Hi." He whispered.

"You look just like your Mommy, except those Castle eyes." She said, giving Castle a smile.

Connor's little foot rubbed against Kate's belly, catching Nana's attention. Nana placed her other hand on Kate's belly and looked up at her granddaughter. "Anything you'd like to tell your Nana, young lady?"

Kate smiled and laughed a little. "We're having twins." She said softly, happily.

Nana smiled up at her. She looked over at Castle next, so grateful for him. She never thought she'd see her Katie so happy again. She never thought she'd have a little family of her own.

"Congratulations, Katie."

It only took seconds for the rest of the family to swarm in. Grayson was shy at first but within ten minutes he was being happily carried off by some cousin, they didn't really keep track. He was having a great time with them.

They sat around and ate dinner, talking and having fun. They talked about Castle's fruit punch incident and everything they'd all missed.

By the end of the night, Kate was asleep on one of the couches, curled up with Grayson cuddled up with her.

"I should get them back to the hotel." Castle said to Mark, who nodded. "Can you get Grayson so I can get Kate?"

Mark nodded and scooped Grayson up into his arms. He made his way out to the car. Castle bent down and lifted Kate into his arms bridal style. She weighed more than usual because of the babies, but he could handle it.

She stirred a little and looked up at him. "Castle?" She asked sleepily.

He nodded and kissed her hair. "Go back to sleep, love."

She nodded a little and was back to sleep in seconds. He smiled and made his way to the car where he sat her in the seat gently and buckled her in. He told Mark goodbye and climbed in the car.

"Daddy?" Grayson asked drowsily, rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah?"

Grayson looked out the window at the building. "Leaving?"

"Don't worry, buddy. We'll see them tomorrow."

* * *

**So, wha did you think?**

**And. sequel? Yes or no?**

**AN: Thank you all so much for your support. I know I'm terrible with updates but you all stood by the story and I love you guys so much for that. :)**


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